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Opposition to landmark sign continues to simmer with councillors

'I really think it’s inappropriate for the city to offer special treatment for people who can afford a big donation,' says Coun. Clare Riepma
2021-06-22 General committee McCann
Coun. Mike McCann speaks during Monday night's general committee meeting.

For a council-approved project, Barrie’s landmark heart sign continues to get plenty of pushback from city councillors.

Coun. Mike McCann, who must raise all of the sign’s $200,000 cost by Oct. 10, asked councillors Monday night that a platinum level of sponsorship for the sign be established, with as many as four contributors of $25,000 or more being able to request involvement on the sign’s working group.

A majority of councillors said no.

“Seats on boards and committees of the city are a key way that we engage the public in local democracy,” said Coun. Keenan Aylwin. “I think this could be seen as selling access to a committee and it’s not a precedent I think we should set.”

“I really think it’s inappropriate for the city to offer special treatment for people who can afford a big donation,” Coun. Clare Riepma said. “I think it kind of splits the city in two, rich versus not rich.”

“I’m only allowing four donors at $25,000, to create the sense of urgency,” McCann said. “I have a marketing plan that’s going to launch on July 1. It’s going to be ‘McCann Wow’ and the whole city’s going to get involved and I’m looking forward to the splash.”

But his motion for the platinum level of sponsorship lost by a 5-4 vote. 

McCann also asked Monday that any money raised on top of the $200,000, where no donation receipts have been issued, be donated to the turtle awareness and beaver programs in Barrie. That was approved, but not before Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl’s asked that any extra money also go to other arts and culture programs, noting art on the sign itself could be unfunded.

“I’m hoping it’s not just going to turtles and beavers when I’m hearing some things have not yet been considered with a budget item,” Kungl said, “and this to me would be a practical opportunity to at least open it up in the framing to make sure that dollars fund-raised for the sign support the sign.”

But McCann questioned whether he can sell that option.

“I’m not sure if anybody has sold anything in their life before, but when you sell, you need to be a specialist and you need to be direct,” he said. “And having extra layers of onion and extra layers of items that I can’t speak passionately about or I don’t even know what you’re talking about…

“What does extra money for art mean? Does that mean we’re going to have performing dancers dance on the sign? Does that mean we’re going to wrap it in a Black Lives Matter sign? I don’t know what that means, so when I have a potential donor ask me, ‘Well, what’s this extra money for turtles?’ I know exactly what I want. ‘What’s this extra money for beavers? I know exactly what I can talk about. ‘Well, what’s this money for the arts?’ I don’t know. ‘OK, well let me think about it and get back to you.’ 

“I’ve put a lot of work into this, a lot of emotional effort into this,” McCann said. “I’m about to do a major campaign July 1 and maybe I’d appreciate it if council would just back off and let me raise the money, instead of making my job harder.”

Aylwin said he disagreed. 

“This is a sign to unite the city and it’s the city’s sign,” he said. “I didn’t vote for it, but council supported it, so I have to support council’s decision and this sign now belongs to the city and the people of the city of Barrie. So I think it’s inappropriate for him to tell us to back off, and I don’t appreciate that.”

Kungl’s motion that extra fund-raised money be used for other arts and culture programs was defeated.

McCann then asked that a new committee, led by a Barrie councillor, be struck to raise money for art on the sign itself.

“What I love about this amendment… is that it makes members of council put their money, literally… where their mouth is if they believe it should be supporting more artistic features instead of the turtles and the beavers,” said Coun. Sergio Morales.

There were no takers from city councillors and the motion lost.

McCann has been asked why any money raised beyond the $200,000 shouldn’t go to the estimated annual $15,000 graffiti removal and winter maintenance costs for the landmark sign. The Ward 10 councillor said he thinks the city needs to have some financial responsibility for this project.

“I personally would have preferred to have any access funds put into a fund that would contribute to the maintenance long-term of this sign,” Riepma said. 

All of these decisions made Monday night will be considered for final approval at the June 28 city council meeting.

McCann says his landmark sign fundraising campaign will begin Canada Day and he already has commitments from companies and people for $50,000 to $80,000.

He has said this project is intended to unite Barrie — to help businesses by driving residents and visitors to the downtown and have them celebrate the city by being photographed with the landmark sign.

Council gave final approval to the Heritage Park project June 14, along with McCann’s 100 per cent fundraising commitment by Oct. 10, that the landmark sign be no more than eight feet tall and be installed by July 1, 2022.

Couns. McCann, Gary Harvey, Morales, Robert Thomson and Jim Harris, along with Deputy Mayor Barry Ward, supported the landmark sign in a recorded vote June 14.

Couns. Riepma, Aylwin and Kungl, along with Mayor Jeff Lehman, were opposed. Coun.

Natalie Harris was absent from the June 14 meeting, as she was from the June 21 meeting. 

What council did agree to June 14 has specific benchmarks.

If all of the fundraising commitment of $200,000 is not received by Oct. 10, 2021 – with 75 per cent of donations paid to the city by that date, staff would not proceed with a request for proposals (RFP) to design and manufacture the sign.

The project would instead be cancelled and any donations received would be returned to donors. Unlike other projects this one does not have another funding source, so the city could not go to RFP until the funding is secured.

If 100 per cent of fundraising has been committed and 75 per cent of the $200,000 has been paid to the city by Oct. 10, 2021, the remaining 25 per cent would need to be paid to the city by March 31, 2022.

Oct. 10, 2021 was chosen to provide enough time for staff to issue an RFP and select a vendor to design, fabricate and install the sign before July 1, 2022.

Staff will report back to city council in a memo in October 2021 on the amount of donations received, whether the project is moving forward and next steps.

To make the sign unique, it could be wrapped with public art to create a unique sign reflecting the community. This would provide a way for the landmark sign to showcase the uniqueness of Barrie and help to draw people back to the sign for multiple visits. 

The estimated timeline for the project is that it would take roughly four months from design to installation, be constructed from steel and aluminum and have a coating applied to assist with graffiti removal. It would be lit with LED lights, which would require little power and have minimal energy costs.