The beacons were back at council Monday night as the city ratified its decision to go ahead with the controversial waterfront art project.
Council approved the $904,000 installation in an 8-4 decision. Coun. Rebecca Johnson, who approved the project, first had community services manager Greg Alexander explain that the city is paying for $357,143 of the total cost with the remainder coming from senior levels of government through the Northern Ontario Heritage Funding Corporation and Infrastructure Stimulus fund.
"I think that needs to be made very clear to this community," Johnson said.
But regardless of where the money is coming from, it’s all taxpayer dollars mayor Keith Hobbs told council which is why he couldn’t support the project. Hobbs also said he was concerned to learn that construction on the project, such as electrical and foundation piling, had already begun even though council only discussed it last week.
In the dozens of emails and phone calls about the project not one person has been in favour of it he added.
"If we have to hand money back…then so be it we don’t always have to spend it all," Hobbs said.
The mayor also had an issue with the fact that the city didn’t hire a local artist for the installation.
"We had to hire somebody from out of town that really disturbs me as well."
Coun. Lynda Rydhom, who also voted against the artwork, said when it was discussed last week not one councillor said they liked the project.
"I would rather have nothing than something I am ashamed of out there," Rydholm said.
Although council did vote for beacons on the waterfront three years ago, Coun. Joe Viridramo said he didn’t think they would look like the approved project, which he referred to as 65-foot bent and rusted angle iron with lights.
Virdiramo said he also had concerns with how the project was approved with little community input unlike other art projects that have been done in the past.
"It really upsets me to work that way," Virdiramo said. "This didn’t have any competition at all."
The two beacons will be installed at Piers 1 and 3. The two 21-metre structures resemble slightly bent poles sticking out of the tips of both piers toward each other.
The beacons, made out of corten steel, will feature LED lights that will flash Morse code of local stories and poetry.
Once someone is within three metres of the beacons, they will be able to hear that literature read by local actors transmitted from the base of the structures.
The installation is meant to look like the profile of a ship and act as a gateway for the waterfront. It was designed by Eduardo Aquino and Karen Shanski in collaboration with the city’s Public Art Committee and waterfront architect BMI/Pace.
