As part of the public input process, Council did say up to three posts could be painted three different colors, to help support the public input gathering process.
During the Council meeting, a handful of people again spoke about the proposed lamppost project that would have changed the color in the downtown district at least to a slate “harbor” blue. Almost all of the people who spoke requested Council go with a more timeless, historic, and upscale color (black), and requested the Council consider a more comprehensive approach to municipal assets/ensuring a color match for lampposts beyond the downtown district as well. In addition, at least one commenter recommended working on rust abatement and repairs of the aging lampposts before focusing on an aesthetic fix. The colors of lampposts have been the topic of discussion at Downtown Development Authority meetings and took a significant portion of time in the City Council’s last regularly scheduled September meeting as well.
The common theme then was also a request for everything in the City, from bike racks and benches to trash cans and lampposts, to share a single color scheme. At the time, DDA members and the head of the DDA shared insights on their process and stressed that the slate blue was part of a Council-approved marketing plan that included the Harbor Springs branded colors. It has also been noted by the DDA their spending power is limited to within the downtown principal shopping district boundaries. This has led to requests by community members for a multi-department collaborative effort on a municipal asset plan, to ensure uniformity throughout the city and city properties.
Once the DDA pulls the plans together and solicits public input, the conversation will return to the City Council’s table.