For the first time since the 1970s, there is a new sign at the entrance of Grande Prairies City Centre. The new sign is a part of the Grande Prairie Downtown Associations’ rebrand of the area. Executive Director of the Downtown Association Wendy Bosch says that the city has grown and changed so much since that sign was installed, that it is no longer “Welcome to Grande Prairie” when you come to that sign.
“The City Centre has gone through a huge revitalization over the last number of years,” Bosch says. “The City of Grande Prairie has put in over $44 million to revitalize the core, and with that, we wanted to give the feeling that you are somewhere special.”
Bosch explains that the new entrance sign is just a part of the $320,000 project. Along with the interactive sign, there will be 22 branded poles installed around the border of the city’s core. She says that this will show how large the area is, and most people believe that it is just a few streets. The new signage will have the ability to change lights for holidays like Halloween and Christmas, along with local, provincial, national and international events and celebrations like Pride Month, or showing support for countries like Ukraine.
Of the $320,000 that went into this project $240,000 was federal money the Downtown Association received from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund. Another $25,000 came from the City of Grande Prairie and was money the city had left over from the two new “Welcome to Grande Prairie” signs that were installed at the city’s north and west entrances. The other $55,000 came from the Downtown Association.
Bosch says that while the branding is new, there is some recognition of the area’s past is also intertwined into the new branding design.
“It is cursive writing, not everybody uses cursive writing anymore. But I think it is important to keep that historical value, as some would say. Some of our younger community members don’t really use cursive, but it is important to remember that our core is historical pride and urban vibe.”
