REQUEST FOR DIRECTION
DATE: January 8, 2020 Report No. EPW-20-002
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Jeff Miller, Director of Engineering and Public Works
SUBJECT:
Title
Remembrance Banner Program
End
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Does the Committee of the Whole wish to proceed with the Remembrance Banner Program as outlined in the draft policy?
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the COTW receive Staff Report No. EPW-20-002 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On May 27, 2019, the Mayor presented Council with a report regarding a potential Remembrance Banner Program. Council approved the following resolution:
“That Council request staff to prepare a report to Council as to how the Township of Esquimalt can facilitate a community project of Remembrance Day banners”.
The Program would include approximately 36 banners mounted on banner holders located along Esquimalt Road. The banners would contain the name of deceased service personnel, their branch of service, and the conflict they served in. The conflicts would include:
• World War One
• World War Two
• Korean Conflict
• Peace Keeping Operations
• Afghanistan Mission
These banners would be mounted on the banner holders shortly after Thanksgiving and taken down during the banner switch over from Summer to Winter themed banners. See Attachment No. 1 for several variations in banner appearance.
ISSUES:
There are three main areas for the Committee of the Whole to consider:
• Costs associated with the program
• Period for display/ program length
• Banner placement
Cost of Program
1. Individuals participating in this Program will be responsible for the cost of banner purchasing:
o Based on budget quotations, each banner would cost approximately $150 including taxes
o The Township would also set up a system (similar to the one established for the Memorial Park Brick Project) in which the cost of the banner could be claimed as a tax deduction by the Requester
2. The cost for the mounting and taking down of the Remembrance Banners:
o It would cost approximately $3,000 to $5,000 (depending on the number of banners displayed) to change over the banners
o This cost will be incurred if the work takes place outside of established mounting/ take down schedules (four times a year)
o This cost is made up of traffic control services, vehicle and staff time to do this work. These costs are not currently part of the operational budget and would have to be added into the budget as a supplementary request during the 2020 - 2025 Financial Plan budget approval
3. The cost for the purchase of the banners would have to be a line item in the 2020 - 2025 Financial Plan:
o In order to purchase the banners earlier in the year, a budget request will need to be added to the Financial Plan
o As banners are purchased, the revenue received would recover the initial capital cost
o If the scope of the Project is limited to 36 banners, the cost would be $5,400
Period of Display
1. What should the length of the Program be?
o In the draft Council Policy (Attachment 2), the time period has been setup as a one time only program (one year)
o At the end of the program, the banners would be returned to the Purchaser in their current condition (i.e. no cleaning or repair of rips)
Alternate Program Length:
o Alternatively, the Program could be extended into a multi-year program
o At the end of a multi-year program, the banners would not be returned to the Purchaser and disposed of in a respectful manner
2. How long are the banners to be displayed in a given year?
o At this time the draft policy outlines the banners being mounted after Thanksgiving and taken down as the summer/winter banner change over occurs which generally occurs at the end of November to early December
o Under this schedule, the Remembrance Banners would be mounted for approximately two months
o Under this approach, there is a cost associated with the banner mounting as identified in Cost of Program Point 2 (i.e. $3,000 to $5,000)
Alternate Display Time:
o An alternative to this time period would be to display the banners for a longer period so that mounting and take down would occur with established change over operations
o With this option there would be no additional costs to the operational budget as the activities associated with the take down of Buccaneer Day banners and mounting of summer/winter banners is already accommodated within the operational budget
o The display period would be approximately six months
o If a longer period for display is chosen for the Remembrance Banners, the spring and summer banners as well as other types of banners would not be displayed along Esquimalt Road
Location of Banners
1. Number of banners and their location:
o The draft Council Policy outlines the banners will only be displayed along Esquimalt Road (36 banners in total)
o This number may be reduced due to banner holders that are damaged and awaiting replacement
o In the future the program could be expanded as there are banner holders located along other road corridors:
• Admirals Road - 10
• Craigflower Road - 20
• Recreation Centre and Archie Browning Parking lots - 20
• If these locations are utilized, an additional 50 banner holders would be made available for a total of approximately 86 banner holders
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That the COTW receive Staff Report No. EPW-20-002 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
2. That the COTW provide alternative direction to staff.
3. That the COTW request further information from staff.