BIA approves revised downtown banner designs for St. Marys

Initial designs by artists Heather Poechman and Liz Emirzian for St. Marys’ new downtown banners. Two of these designs will be revised by the artists before all four go to council for final approval.

By Galen Simmons

The St. Marys Business Improvement Area (BIA) board has approved a series of revised artistic banner designs that will soon add new colour and character to the town’s downtown core.

At the board’s May 11 meeting, members approved four double-sided banner concepts commissioned as part of a collaborative streetscape-enhancement initiative between the Town of St. Marys and the BIA. The banners, designed by local artists Heather Poechman and Liz Emirzian, are intended to replace the town’s traditional summer hanging baskets with a more coordinated and long-term downtown beautification program.

“My department embarked on working with the two artists that the BIA selected for the (utility box art wraps) downtown to have some continuity there and see what we could come up with,” said town tourism and economic development manager Kelly Deeks-Johnson.

“So, we provided themes, just like you did for the hydro boxes, and they were similar themes. The only theme that we did add that wasn’t in the original themes was baseball.”

Poechman’s original designs are themed around “Shop Local” and baseball, while Emirzian’s original designs feature river scenery, including both loons and a heron.

Board members approved the designs with two minor revisions following discussion at the meeting.

One of Emirzian’s nature-themed banner concepts originally featured loons along the Thames River, a bird board members Angela McPherson and Dan Troyer suggested be replaced with ducks to better reflect local wildlife commonly found in St. Marys.

The board also requested a revision to Poechman’s baseball-themed banner to include female representation alongside the existing player imagery, as suggested in correspondence from the owner of Hyggeligt Fabrics, Chantal Lynch.

“I had also made some original swaps with the Shop Local one to add in various things that fit more within (the downtown),” Deeks-Johnson added.

Once finalized, the revised concepts will be forwarded to St. Marys council for final approval before printing and installation.

According to Deeks-Johnson, the banners are expected to be installed beginning July 1 – after most of the town’s Pride banners are taken down – and remain in place until they are replaced by the Royal Canadian Legion’s veterans’ banners ahead of Remembrance Day. The banners are expected to remain in use for two to three seasons before new designs are commissioned.

Deeks-Johnson’s report to the board notes the banner-design initiative aligns with both the St. Marys BIA strategic plan and the town’s tourism master plan. Printing costs for the banners will be split between the town and the BIA, while the design work was funded through the tourism budget.