Landmark signs on campus receive a facelift

The landmark signs on Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus have finally received the facelift they’ve been promised for almost a year.

As of the beginning of May the new signs for Laurier, which include the newest slogan, “Inspiring Lives,” have been put in the ground, and the main Laurier sign on the John Aird Centre is finished.

According to Gary Nower, vice president of physical resources at WLU, the new signs give the campus a sharper look.

“It’s a nice start in terms of dealing with the landscape and the physical makeup of the campus,” he said. “It’s going really well. They should be done soon.”

About six new landmark signs have been implemented around campus, which includes the signs on the corners of King Street and University Avenue, King Street and Bricker Avenue, Bricker Avenue and Albert Street and University Avenue and Albert Street.

The project’s total cost is approximately $100,000. The money for the project, which was the reason for its delay from the original deadline of Oct. 2013, came from a project that was cancelled, according to Nower.

“We took the money from that and applied it to the signs,” he said.

The new signs have a uniform consistency with the same font and colour scheme throughout campus. It will act as the official signage for Laurier, and will be cheaper for upkeep than having the signs include a directory to all of the individual buildings on campus.

Nower also noted that the new signs give Laurier a strong aesthetic look.

“It’s not a pretty campus, I’m not going to deny that, but dealing with signage and stuff could be a beginning to other projects around campus and make it nicer. I think it’s a good start,” he explained.

He said physical resources is planning on putting new directory signs on campus for the buildings, but money is not available for that project.

For now, the focus is on the aesthetics of the new landmark signs for Laurier, which Nower believes will help Laurier’s overall look.

“They’re pretty sharp, and I think people are going to like them,” he said.