The Town of Essex will remove one of its logos from the refurbished Harrow Fairgrounds archway after opposition from residents. Residents shared concerns on social media after the sign was revealed this summer with Town of Essex branding on it. Pushback from residents claimed the logo didn’t represent Harrow’s identity. On Monday night, town council unanimously voted to change one of the two branded signs to the word Harrow. “Social media was very loud and clear that the residents of Harrow were not happy with the look of the arch,” said Katie McGuire-Blais, the town’s Ward 1 representative. The change will cost $3,000, but staff noted it can be pulled from the existing budget for the site. “If it makes them happy and it’s something that the Harrow Fair Board is on board with and it’s in budget, I don’t see any problem switching it out to make everybody happy,” McGuire-Blais added. The second sign on the archway will keep the Town of Essex branding. Speaking to council on Monday, Joseph Malandruccolo, the town’s Director of Legal and Legislative Services, said there’s a benefit in identifying the town’s lands. “From a legal perspective, when people are on certain lands, they need to know who is responsible for those lands, so having that sign still say Essex… is good from a legal perspective,” Malandruccolo said.
