Interactive Timmins signs with potential for selfies could be a new fixture downtown.
Council has given staff the green light to see how much it would cost to install Timmins signs at the transit building on Spruce Street and at the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre.
Director of community and development services Marc Jensen explained to council the signage would allow visitors to get interactive.
"As such they would take photos and selfies and actually get up on the signage and replace letters on the signage. It’s an interesting concept, but it does support a very popular growing trend of establishing photo-friendly communities across Ontario,” he said.
The one at the transit station would be more of a landmark piece, acting as an end focal point for Third Avenue.
The larger, more photo-friendly sign would be at the museum.
Earlier this year, council approved an advisory committee that was tasked with creating a plan on how to spend $66,556 from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario for a main street revitalization initiative.
The committee's original mandate was to develop a pilot project to revitalize and redevelop the city's laneways.
After looking at the March 31, 2020 deadline for the project to be completed, Jensen said the group decided to focus on a more realistic project.
Coun. John Curley noted that the proposed locations are blocks apart and questioned if there are locations, such as the Hollinger Park, which is a well-visited area, that it could go. He also questioned if the project is limited to downtown Timmins proper, or could be included in city's other downtown areas.
While it is possible to put the signs in other areas, such as Hollinger Park, Jensen said the specific funding for this program is limited to downtown.
“I don’t believe there’s a restriction to spend the funding just in downtown Timmins, technically we have three downtown areas,” he said.
Coun. Kristin Murray is a member of the advisory committee and said they thought about other areas.
“I hope people aren’t feeling left out because there could be the possibility of an extension,” she said.
