The City is looking at changes to the championship banner program running down the highway through Cranbrook, which honours notable achievements from locally-connected personalities.
The banners have been on display for the last eleven years, however, the material has fallen into disrepair due to the weather elements.
Council voted to remove the banners sometime this fall and create a staff committee to come up with ideas for either a new banner program or some other way to recognize and acknowledge community, cultural and sports leaders.
In the meantime, between the removal of the old banners and the creation of something new, a digital recognition program will continue in the interim on the Western Financial Place LED sign and in the facility lobby.
The committee will be tasked with coming up with ideas and themes for the new program, with council approving $20,000 from the 2021 budget for the project.
“They don’t necessarily have to be banners, they don’t necessarily have to be displayed on the street,” suggested Coun. Ron Popoff. “The committee could come up with some other inventive ideas where we could do the champions the right respect without dangling them from the street sign.”
Council decided to remove the banners given their existing state of disrepair, but will bring the issue back to chambers once the committee has fleshed out new ideas for the program.
Staff suggested striking a committee as soon as possible in order to bring some ideas to council by mid-winter. Upon approval, new banners — if the city decides to go that route — can be put up next spring.
The City of Champions banner program was championed by former councillor Liz Schatschneider, which included an initial run of 17 banners, while another five more were added in 2013. One banner recently came off its framing and fell onto the highway, according to a staff report.
