The Alberta Sign Association (ASA) has started an online fundraising campaign to save and restore the Western Cycle neon sign.
The Alberta Sign Association (ASA) is running an online fundraising campaign to save and restore the Western Cycle neon sign.
The ‘bike guy’ neon sign has been in place on the rooftop of Western Cycle for decades. However, since the building was purchased by the city as part of a plan to expand Edmonton’s light rail transit (LRT) system, the structure is scheduled for demolition later this summer. As a result, ASA is on a deadline to save an iconic piece of the city’s cycling history. The group wants to restore the sign, which currently sits on 124 Street, and move it to its new location in the Edmonton Neon Sign Museum.
“We’re primarily looking to save the top sign, which is a 3.04- x 3.04-m (10- x 10-ft) roof-mounted sign,” said ASA’s president, Kelso Brennan.
As it turns out, saving the sign is more complex than a simple re-location. Bike guy’s state of disrepair also makes it more difficult than the museum’s other projects.
“The labour needed to restore these signs is volunteered from Edmonton sign companies, so we’re looking for the public’s support to help with this particular sign because it’s slightly outside of our range,” said Brennan. “One of the unforeseen costs for this particular piece is the structural engineering and fabrication for a new frame, which will require the use of a special boom lift, and we will need to meet wind-load and structural-weight requirements.”
Money raised from the online fundraiser will refurbish the internal components of the sign, redo the paint, and create a new frame to meet weight and structural requirements.
ASA is hoping to raise $7500. This is the first time ASA has done a crowd funding campaign to raise money to restore a sign. Brennan says if they exceed their goal, extra funds will be used to refurbish other signs.
“We currently have a backlog of more than a dozen signs that could also be erected in the neon sign museum,” he said.
Although ASA has a modest budget to maintain the existing signs in the museum, all restoration, installations, and removals have been donated by local sign companies. The city currently provides funding to ASA to help maintain existing signs, while Telus and The Mercer donate electrical power which lights up the Edmonton Neon Sign Museum.
Donations to support ASA’s efforts to preserve the Western Cycle neon sign can be made through the association’s GoFundMe campaign.
