The city's grandiose plans for a giant concrete Sault Ste. Marie sign to welcome visitors driving off the International Bridge are about to considerably downsized.
City Council eventually nixed the original 2016 proposal for white concrete letters with a cute red concrete maple leaf at the end, saying it would cost too much.
Since then, there's been talk of making the big letters out of steel.
Next week, city councillors will be asked to approve spending $40,000 of previously approved funding to landscape a much smaller gateway sign, as shown above, to welcome visitors to Canada.
The new steel sign is compatible with the Sault's wayfinding master plan, developed by Corbin Design of Traverse City, Mich.
Yes, it includes our pizza-like municipal logo.
The cost of fabricating and installing the new welcome sign is being paid under a funding arrangement with Destination Northern Ontario.
The $40,000 landscaping job will be done by the city’s parks division to a level appropriate for a major entrance to the city, says Don McConnell, the Sault's director of planning.
The sign will be at northeast corner of Queen Street West and Huron Street, on property owned by the PUC.
Monday's City Council will be held by teleconference to comply with COVID-19 restrictions on public meetings.
The meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m. Monday.