Martino: Forget About a New Logo and Solve Issues

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March 22, 2015

From a Community Feature article in the Palm Beach Post on March 17th I learned that the City of Palm Beach Gardens “is out to freshen up its image” with a new website and a new logo. Does the City really need “a citywide rebranding” as the article suggests? I visited the City’s website as the article references to find out.

Lo and behold there they were two new logos “A” or “B”, both instigated by the PGA flyover bridge with its “iconic artwork Astralis”, affectionately referred to as the “Rusty Balls”. The website asks, “Which logo option do you prefer?” The City’s website information also suggests that the PGA Boulevard fly-over is “a major gateway into the City… connecting the people that live and work here… and “has become a symbol of our community.” Residents might take issue with those pronouncements.

As a 50 year resident of Palm Beach Gardens my choice for a new City logo is not displayed. If anyone cares, it is none of the above. Not many years ago the City Council, with some of the same present day members, voted for a logo change to the Banyan Tree logo of today. Does the City Council really want to uproot the Banyan Tree?

My questions for the City Council are…

* When did the City Council publicly discuss rebranding, a new website, and a new logo?

* What is the cost and where in the budget is the money allocated?

* Who designed the logos and who decided on the bridge?

My choice for the City Council is a simple one, forget about a new logo. Before “crossing the bridge to the future” as the City website suggests, how about solving some of the issues of today, such as, traffic congestion, new parks and recreational playing fields, waivers for developers, and transparency, to name a few of many.