Wintertime installation
Following weather delays, the sign was installed in March. Even though it was snowing, the process went smoothly.
The main deadline facing the project was the mayor’s annual state of the city address, scheduled for Mar. 22, 2018.
The footing was dug and the stone base was completed in January, before the sign was even built. Once it was finished, including the many graphic revisions, its installation could finally proceed in March.
“Given the time of year, there were weather delays for the sign’s installation, but we had to get it out to the site,” says Butko, “not just to meet the deadline, but also because it is a very large sign that took up most of our shop!”
Despite further snowstorms, the installation went smoothly.
“The sign was more or less assembled when it was transported to the site,” says Wallis. “Two of the largest letters had to be removed beforehand, so it could be safely strapped upright to our 9.1-m (30-ft) long trailer. Once the sign was secured on-site to the mounting bar, those letters were reinstalled.”
Aside from some perimeter light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the sign is not illuminated.
“We could add uplighting in the future,” says Butko. “This is a suggestion we made to the city afterwards. So far, no decision has been finalized.”
Greeted with pride
The volunteer committee was happy with the results and Diodati announced the sign’s completion and installation during his state of the city address.
While the sign’s big, bright letters are primarily intended to be viewed by drivers as they pass by the site, they can also serve as a backdrop for pedestrian photo opportunities.
“It’s near a neighbourhood where you could park your car and walk down a path to get to the sign,” Butko explains. “That path is not really well-known, but people could visit the site to take selfies, a bit like they do with the three-dimensional (3-D) sign at Toronto’s Nathan Philips Square.”
With files from Signature Sign & Image. For more information, visit www.signaturesigns.ca.
