Back to the drawing board.

The Troy City Council wants the city administration to come back to them at their June 3 meeting with a new idea for signs that welcome people to the city.

Mayor Pro Tem Ethan Baker initiated the discussion about the proposed design of the new signs at the April 22 council meeting.

He said the design “doesn’t quite reflect the image we want” and added that the signs “may become dated.”

The council was to vote on awarding a contract for just under $80,000 to Signs by Crannie of Flint to fabricate and install two large signs on Big Beaver Road and 27 smaller signs near the city limits. The new signs, which feature the words “CITY OF TROY” in block letters, would replace existing ones, which say “City of Tomorrow…Today.”

Baker suggested postponing the vote; the council voted unanimously to do so.

City Manager Mark Miller said the administration would need time to devise an alternative look. The council is to reconsider the item at its June 3 meeting.

Baker and several other council members noted the criticism that neighboring Sterling Heights received after installing a large gold ring in the median on Hall Road.

Sterling Heights launched a contest to name the 35-foot-tall sculpture after it received several uncomplimentary monikers. It is now officially known as “The Halo.”

Troy Councilwoman Edna Abrahim said it’s important to get a good design for the new signs because they will represent the city for decades.

Several Troy council members questioned whether all seven of them would agree on a design for the new signs.

Mayor Dane Slater questioned why Baker and several other council members are objecting to the design now, nearly six months after it was first presented to them.

Baker said he raised questions about the design when it was unveiled last November. He said he asked people around the community about the design and got negative responses.

Slater said the city paid $17,000 for design work on the signs.

“I kind of rely on experts to know how things should look,” Slater said.

This article is from the Oakland Press, published May 10, 2019, link to the original article here.

By Anne Runkle arunkle@medianewsgroup.com; @AnneRunkle1 on Twitter