St. Marys BIA agrees to 50/50 partnership with town on new banners and designs

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents of St. Marys and visitors to downtown could see new banners with brand-new designs adorning downtown streetlights next year.

After deciding last year to do away with the annual hanging-basket program to save money on watering and the purchase of flowers, the St. Marys BIA board recently voted to partner 50/50 with the town on having two local artists develop four new designs – two designs per artist – for new banners that would take the place of the hanging baskets next year. The banners would be hung from July 1 to Oct. 1 annually.

“Because we’re not having hanging baskets anymore, we’re looking to replace the hanging baskets with colourful banners in the style of the (utility boxes) that the two artists did downtown,” said BIA board member Lisa Fewster.

Earlier this year, the designs created by local artists Heather Poechman of St. Marys and Liz Emirzian of Stratford were used to create art wraps and installed on utility boxes downtown. Now, the BIA board is hoping the same two artists will develop banner designs that tie in with their utility box designs with themes of nature and heritage specific to St. Marys.

While St. Marys tourism and economic development manager told the BIA board she hadn’t gauged the artists’ interest in the project yet, she did inquire about the cost for the designs. According to her report to the BIA board, the cost of the banner designs would be $1,000 per design or $4,000 in total. On top of the designs, printing costs would be $63.32 plus HST per banner for an order of 30 banners or $59.80 plus HST for an order of 60 banners.

“I suggest 30, myself. I think that’s really good coverage,” Deeks-Johnson said. “It gets the bridges and the majority of the main retail district and downtown.”

Deeks-Johnson estimated there were roughly 40 hanging baskets in the downtown area prior to the cancellation of that program, and she said when the town prints new banners, she often orders 25 at a time. According to her report, the banners will be more widespread than previous banner programs, with the addition of banners to the Queen Street bridge, Church Street bridge and the Queen Street block to Peel Street.

Should the town’s tourism and economic development department and the BIA board determine more banners are needed after next year, there would be the option to print more banners with the same designs.

With an estimated total cost for the banners being $5,950, the BIA board voted to set aside up to $3,000 from the BIA reserves for this project. The remaining cost would be covered by the town’s tourism and economic development department, subject to council approval.

Should Poechman and Emirzian agree to do this project, designs would be presented to the BIA board and council for final approval. Should the artists decline, the BIA board would offer the project to other local artists.