Signs to Proclaim City's Progress

When visitors come to downtown Duluth for the Fall Festival later this month, they will see signs proclaiming the city’s progress posted on current construction projects.

The Duluth City Council at its meeting Monday (Sept. 10) night agreed on a basic design for the signs that use the city’s new logo and slogan. The signs, which proclaim “Capture the Spirit of Progess,” will also be used for future projects throughout the city.

City Manager Tim Shearer presented a design based on the logo and another with a theme of “Progress Happens.” The council opted to go with the design that adheres to the city’s branding campaign.

The "Progress Happens" version contains the image of a construction worker wearing a hard hat and work shoes and holding a hammer. This image could be added to the "Capture the Spirit of Progress" design.

Shearer noted that a sign will be posted on Main Street where the Red Clay Theatre basement has been excavated and end wall is being rebuilt. The fence will also be reinforced, he said.

Signs will also be erected on either end of the alleyway connecting a parking lot on Ga. Hwy. 120 and West Lawrenceville Street. The alley was uncovered as part of a recent downtown demolition project, but will be closed during the festival. The uneven pavement is being removed, and other improvements are planned.

A storage building at the Ga. Hwy. 120 end of the alley is being considered for restaurant or retail redevelopment. The interior of the structurally sound building has been gutted.

Shearer reported that work around the base of the Living Honorarium on the Duluth Town Green will be completed in time for the festival scheduled Sept. 29 and 30.

The signs will carry a website address that will provide information on the projects that residents and visitors can access.