Logo a no-go?

COEUR d'ALENE — The Coeur d'Alene City Council has approved Cameron Reilly, LLC, to conduct the Mullan Road Improvements Project for approximately $1.48 million. But a certain detail of the project plans has raised some questions.

As council members made their decision at the council meeting Tuesday night and reviewed blueprints for the future of Mullan Road, they saw ignite cda inserted its logo into the plans. The document shows the

flaming heart logo on the lit monuments that will be in the center of the roundabouts by Memorial Field. Each monument has two sides, meaning the logo would appear four times if approved.

"They are placing their own logo on the monuments in there. This is not something that came to council," said City Councilman Dan Gookin. "My choice would be rather than having ignite pat themselves on the back for spending other peoples’ money, we could use these monuments for some other type of public art. That’s my opinion."

Mayor Steve Widmyer, who serves on ignite's board, said the logo was more of a placeholder than anything. However, the plans are quite specific, from the 3/16-inch-thick, 3-foot-tall steel logo with powdercoat finish mounted over a 1/8-inch-thick Lexan panel to the tamper-resistant screws, white precast stone cap and grading finish thoughtfully illustrated on the blueprint.

"This is not saying, ‘Hey, we bought this obelisk,’ it’s saying, ‘We’re going to take credit for the entire project,’ when in fact it’s bigger than that," Gookin said.

"They had put something on the document to show what could potentially go there, but what’s going to go there has not been finalized." Widmyer said. "That’s my understanding."

Widmyer said to have the logo placed on the monuments would be controversial and inappropriate.

"I don’t think people would like it and I wouldn’t like it," he said. “When I think of a recognition of a project, if you look at McEuen, there’s a plaque there that talks about all of the people involved. I envision something more like that, just a small little plaque of all the people that are involved. That is what I would be in favor of. I would be more in favor of some type of piece of artwork on that monument.”

Gookin said these monuments would be a great way to promote and support a local artist as well as be something the entire community could enjoy.

"My thing is, can we be more creative?" he said. "We have so many opportunities where we could say, ‘You know what, let’s put something fun there.' Let’s say whatever it’s going to cost to put this in, even if it’s just a couple thousand bucks, can’t you just give that to an artist and have them put something there that would be whimsical or fun or historic?"

Widmyer said the city council will be discussing and finalizing the monuments — and what goes on them — at the council's first meeting in April.