Moose Jaw is known for how it promotes its history, such as with plaques, murals, branding, and tours, but it appears there could be other objects sitting in storage that would also enhance the community.
During a recent discussion at city council about supporting the priorities of the downtown local area plan, Mayor Fraser Tolmie mentioned that there happen to be some “beautiful street signs sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Moose Jaw.” These street signs apparently match the decorative lampposts that have been installed along Main Street.
Later in the meeting, Coun. Heather Eby asked city administration for more information about the “lovely decorative signs” possibly sitting in storage that need to be installed. She pointed out that years ago decorative light posts were found that hadn’t been installed. She wondered why the signs hadn’t been installed and when that could happen.
While working to upgrade the reservoir, city crews found signs that had been created for the downtown, explained Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development services. She was unsure how many of the heritage decorative signs existed, but said that city hall could look at installing them in the future.
City administration has asked staff at the reservoir to bring out the signs, especially since it’s a journey to get into the building, said city manager Jim Puffalt. There is no corporate memory in city hall about why these signs were not installed. He suggested there might have been some opposition about installing the signs, but admitted he didn’t want to speculate.
“I think this is a missed opportunity for this city,” said Tolmie. “When SaskPower was putting in lights, we could have had decorative lights to match that and it would have been absolutely beautiful.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 10.
