A City of Pitt Meadows pilot project to discontinue the hanging of cross-street banners along Harris Road has irked the head of one of B.C.’s largest home and garden shows held in Maple Ridge.
Graham Vanstone, executive director of the Ridge Meadows Home Show, said he is upset because in 2022 they were told they needed to replace their old banner with a new one because the city changed their requirements for banners being hung across the street.
He replaced his old banner with one that conformed with the new weight, wind shear, and size specifications – which cost him $2,000.
And, without any consultation from the city, he was told about a month and a half ago that he would not be able to hang his new banner to advertise the show.
“No consultation. No information given,” said Vanstone, noting that he left multiple messages with the city with no response.
In a response to The News, the city said they are piloting the option of discontinuing the Harris Road banners in 2024 in order to save costs, staff time, and to prevent possible safety hazards – while analyzing the impacts to event attendance.
“The estimated savings from this pilot are $15,600 for one year and could save $78,000 over a five year period due to banner replacement costs and traffic flagging costs when the banners are replaced,” said Tia O’Grady, a spokesperson for the City of Pitt Meadows.
The city noted the proposal and council decision were available to the public during the city’s business planning presentations in December of 2023. And, noted O’Grady, all of these regular council meetings are open to the public and open to feedback from residents and user groups, such as the Home Show.
A majority of the advertising on the Harris Road banners are for special events like: Pitt Meadows Day; Christmas in Pitt Meadows; and Canada Day.
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“The city made this decision because staff are confident that our existing/other communications tools are sufficient to promote events,” said O’Grady.
The only other place to hang a banner in the city is on either side of the entrance to the sports park along Bonson Road. However, only sports organizations who use the fields, courts, and arena are allowed to place banners on the park fence, and it is solely for the purpose of advertising their registration dates.
O’Grady emphasized this is a one-year pilot for 2024, which will be reassessed for 2025. A decision will be made during business planning in the fall, she said, depending on the results of the pilot.
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The city has since been in touch with Vanstone and offered him a solution for this year, including advertising on the digital board located at City Hall as well as the Pattison digital board at the Pitt River bridge, which he has accepted. His signs will remain up on the two digital boards until end of day on May 5th.
The city also said they will continue to support the Home Show by amplifying information over their social media channels, and have added the Home Show event to the city’s community calendar so it is displayed on their website.
In the future, Vanstone said, he would like more consultation and communication from the city. And he is still hoping for another location to hang his banner, especially after another brand new sign was vandalized at the corner of Harris Road and Lougheed Highway which will cost him more than $550 to replace.