Council Gives Green Light to Welcome Mats
By Darryl McPherson
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| Everybody knows these signs: it means you’ve arrived.... |
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| The State spent money making a welcome sign for the state park. |
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| Present welcome signs for Niagara Falls. |
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| A rough design of the proposed new welcome signs. |
The Niagara Falls City Council has determined that the Cataract City needs a welcome mat worthy of a natural wonder of the world.
After a brief presentation last month, the council approved an initiative by Councilmember Glenn Choolokian to retain Cooper Signs to design five new, large scale signs at entry points in Niagara Falls and possibly upgrade signage at certain entryways. Cooper Signs will assist in the design of the welcome signs and collaborate with the City Engineering Department to develop design specifications if it is determined that the upgrades are desired and warranted.
The estimated cost for this design work is $10,000. Funding is available from the Council’s consultant and undesignated services budget lines.
Choolokian believes it would be money well spent. “We spent $200 million in casino money and we have little to show for it,” said Choolokian. “We spent $150,000 per year on Hard Rock concerts and it was blown in a day. These signs are designed to last 30 or 40 years,”
One proposed sign would include LED lighting and a heating element to feature a year-round waterfall within the sign.
Choolokian likens it to the famous neon structure that welcomes visitors to Las Vegas. “People all over the world know that sign,” he said.