Dear Editor:
Erin is a beautiful town symbolized by the shamrock, which underlines the “rural, historic, agricultural charm” of the town.
The shamrock is beautifully presented to the general public and visitors with hand-carved signs by local artist Myron Lasko. His work is a beautiful representation of Erin’s Irish/Scottish heritage. It’s enjoyed by visitors and is unique to Erin.
Reading last week’s excellent article in the Wellington Advertiser, I agree that I do not see any historical connection, any reflection of the history of Erin in this change of logo – a logo that is not new or fresh. But it is expensive. There is no connection to Erin/Hillsburgh or the Town of Erin and yet this is supposed to be one of the reasons that $20,000 was spent to create a “new” (and I would have anticipated unique at that price) logo.
The new logo shows no individualism, no warmth and no message. Well, it does remind one of the same logo, with subtle changes of colour, used by various companies and entities. And it does not show any need for artistry, professional training or skills to create a heart within three “tear drops”. It was not even created! It was already in use.
And, then there is the statement about public input. Which, in my experience means a substantial time frame to send out information and await responses from the public. I am not aware of any notification to the public; thanks to upset fellow citizens, Facebook and the Advertiser, we are now aware of this disgusting attack on Erin’s beautiful shamrock logo.
But many of us are not on Facebook and do not receive the Advertiser, so where was the council’s effort to contact their residents?
We all have mailboxes. Notices could have been sent to us before sending our hard earned tax dollars to a firm in Toronto to do a job that could be done here by our many gifted residents.
At a time of financial stress for Erin residents and businesses; at a time when projected expenses for 2024 have grown beyond initial expectations; at a time when we have ongoing concerns about completion dates and cost of new subdivisions and projects including the wastewater system; at a time when so much is on hold in our community – why this?!
Why would council think a new logo was a sensible expense? Not to mention the wisdom of then spending that $20,000 on a Toronto firm (the mind boggles) while our local foodbank and other volunteer groups desperately need financial support and assistance.
I am stunned at all of this and deeply disappointed with our council.
Lee Douglas,
Erin