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Banff entrance sign relocation comes with hefty price tag

“I think we’re a victim of our own success with this particular sign. It’s a fantastic sign and I love so much about it, and I would not want to see it disappear,” said Councillor Barb Pelham.
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A multiple exposure shows several groups of people taking pictures at the Banff sign on Friday (July 2). EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO

BANFF – The popular Banff entrance sign is proving to be a victim of its own success.

In 2020, council decided against moving the west entrance welcome sign on Norquay Road, preferring to explore ways to improve public safety as tourists dashed back and forth across the road and randomly parked vehicles.

The topic came up again during council’s review of municipal services and programs in December,  but because of the hefty price tag, council has put off further debate on potential locations until late 2023 for service review.

“I think we’re a victim of our own success with this particular sign. It’s a fantastic sign and I love so much about it, and I would not want to see it disappear,” said Councillor Barb Pelham.

“We know this sign draws so many people in and having that knowledge I think it should inform us very carefully as to how we proceed to the next version of where this sign goes.”

Part of the Town of Banff’s overall $2.2 million way-finding program, the new Banff entrance sign was installed in 2017 to grab the attention of tourists as they arrived in Canada’s premiere tourist town, to create a sense of entry from the national park, and to replace the outdated entrance sign featuring a pipe-smoking Bill Peyto, a legendary pioneer and warden.

The new sign was intentionally designed to be interactive, and has since proven to be a popular visitor attraction.

Town administrators say they have explored a range of possible relocation options for the entrance sign that would allow visitors to safely access and interact with the sign in a pedestrian-friendly setting such as the recreation grounds or Central Park.

Darren Enns, director of planning and development for the Town of Banff, said any exploration of a relocated sign would also include remediation plans for the existing site, and potential options for creating a sense of entry without the traffic congestion associated with a sign.

“It needs to be something indicating you’re transitioning from the national park and the highway into the community,” he said.

“But it cannot be something that people want to stop and take a photo of necessarily, because that defeats the purpose of moving the sign in the first place.”

Between 2017 and 2019, several traffic calming initiatives were implemented, including planters in the median, and a pedestrian crossing from the Fenlands recreation centre was improved to make it safer for visitors wanting a photo of the sign to cross the road.

There is no firm budget at this stage, but administration has discussed the possibility of funding contributions from partners in order to reduce municipal budget impacts. As a gauge, the capital costs for the existing sign were $120,000 for base design, $100,000 for sign fabrication and $80,000 for other related costs.

“What is not factored in here is the replacement cost of what you would do at Norquay Road, which is not determined,” said Enns.

Coun. Hugh Pettigrew was opposed to spending any money this year, noting this is a “want and not a need-to-have.”

“I am not ready to spend a dime on this project anymore at this point because we don’t have the money,” he said.

“It’s been mediated enough that it’s a lot better … we now have a 30-km reduced speed zone.”

Mayor Corrie DiManno said she would like the sign relocated downtown, preferably included as part of Parks Canada’s vision for the 200 block of Banff Avenue.

“I think moving it to a less car-centric area where folks can take photos unencumbered from vehicles is a safer environment,” she said.

The mayor said she was not interested in relocating the sign to Central Park and the recreation grounds, fearing the green spaces would be trampled and damaged.

“I want to respect those areas and ensure they remain peaceful and environments for recreational activity and experience in nature,” she said.

“We are discussing with the community the future of Banff Avenue which remains unseen, but I think this could be part of that bigger conversation.”

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