The ‘Love Barrie’ sign could be facing a little poetic justice Monday.
Victoria Butler, Barrie’s poet laureate, is on the agenda to make a deputation to city council concerning the landmark sign.
Butler declined to speak with BarrieToday on Friday; deputations can be in opposition or support of motions being considered by council. She will be allowed to speak for five minutes.
Council will consider final approval Monday night of a motion that city staff investigate the feasibility of procuring a landmark sign (‘heart icon’ Barrie) for people to pose with, and post on social media to bring the city together, at a cost of no more than $200,000.
Coun. Mike McCann would be responsible for fundraising the money and has already raised $50,000. His original intent to use $150,000 of public money to pay for the sign was changed Feb. 22.
McCann was asked Friday to characterize opposition to the sign project.
“Quite frankly, I believe that the loud minority have an issue with this. … I’m actually not exactly sure what the problem is,” he said. “I’m not sure if it’s opinion or if it’s an agenda, why they’re so negative toward the sign.
“I guess the concern I have, or the questions I have, is they’re asking to put this money toward the homeless or put this money toward small businesses in the city of Barrie,” McCann added. “I don’t know what impact $200,000 would have on small businesses, because you have 50,000-plus small businesses in (Barrie). That would be spreading it quite thin. And I don’t know what else they are looking for me to do to help the homeless.”
McCann noted the city’s share of services the County of Simcoe provides to Barrie — which includes social and affordable housing — is nearly $27 million in its 2021 operating and capital budget. The city’s also looking at a $3-million supportive modular housing project on Vespra Street, which could help solve homelessness in the city.
The Ward 10 councillor said his sign has a different goal.
“I want the sign to be Barrie’s first landmark sign. The Spirit Catcher is not a landmark sign. The Spirit Catcher is public art. Big difference. I do not consider this to be public art, no,” he said. “The No. 1 priority is to unite our city, and bring people downtown.
"We have one of the best waterfronts in the world and I believe this will help build and strengthen and unite the city of Barrie."
The motion council will consider Monday includes there being consultation with the public art committee and MacLaren Art Centre about the sign’s location. McCann’s preference is Meridian Place, with Kempenfelt Bay in the background.
“If there’s a better location that’s going to show our beautiful lake and also help the downtown core, with people coming to take a picture and then sprawling out to the downtown, then I’m up for it,” he said. “I just don’t know what that location would be.”
McCann also said not having a specific design and location for the sign makes it very difficult to fund-raise, and there cannot be many more roadblocks to this project.
“My concern is that this just gets so ugly — because of not people’s opinions, because of people’s agendas — that the project becomes not worth doing,” he said. “I just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
McCann has said his sign is intended to unite Barrie — to help businesses by driving residents and visitors to the downtown and have them celebrate the city. He has also said Barrie doesn’t have a distinct landmark sign within its limits; other cities with one have done well promoting their businesses, McCann said, citing Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto.
The motion council will consider Monday asks that city staff investigate the feasibility of procuring a landmark sign (‘heart icon’ Barrie) to bring the city together and encourage residents and tourists to capture memories and share them on social media.
The proposed sign would be bold and have Lake Simcoe in the backdrop; it would be six to 10 feet high and incorporate basic colours and effects so that the lights could be changed in recognition of special occasions. Staff would report back to councillors after this investigation.
Following completion of a competitive bid process, and once a preferred vendor is selected, a working group would be established, including Mayor Jeff Lehman and councillors Robert Thomson and McCann, the vendor and city staff to select the sign’s final design, its location and installation timelines, with a goal of being ready by July 1, 2022, and report back to councillors by memo.
The sign’s cost would not exceed $200,000, with the total cost to be fund-raised by McCann in accordance with the city’s donation policy with assistance from the Downtown BIA, Tourism Barrie and the Barrie Chamber of Commerce, and that an update on the total money raised be provided to Barrie councillors with the report back from staff.
Monday’s virtual meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and Butler’s deputation should take place shortly afterwards.
