Five applicants submitted proposals to appear on the City’s 2012 vehicle sticker, perhaps the last time organizations will be so represented. In 2013, the vehicle sticker will commemorate Evanston’s 150th anniversary. Thereafter, plans are to have a license-plate-recognition system in place, making stickers unnecessary (and saving at least a little money), said Parking Manager Ricky Voss.
Last year, rather than select just one sticker, Council voted to issue two different stickers. For 2012, Mr. Voss presented five possible City Sticker designs. This year’s two stickers caused “confusion” among City staff, as well as among residents, said Mr. Voss. As a result, staff urged Council to select only one design.
The harder part was selecting which of the five applicants to honor with a sticker design: The Cradle, Evanston Day Nursery, Mather LifeWays, the Evanston Community Foundation and the Chessman Club of the North Shore. Several of the organizations presented their case and highlighted their long history of service in Evanston.
“Looking at the numbers, 25 years is the lowest” as far as the number of years one of the organizations has been active in Evanston, said Alderman Jane Grover, 7th Ward. “I wish we could honor them all.”
It was as if a drum roll sounded, as a smile spread across Mr. Voss’ face. City staff, anticipating such a reaction, had prepared a combined sticker that referenced all five organizations, said acting City Manager Marty Lyons. Mr. Voss projected the design onto the screen to general acclamation. “You probably shaved about 45 minutes off the evening,” said Alderman Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward.
Council was not thrilled with the design, though. They appointed Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Tendam, a graphic designer by trade, to assist in the re-design. But the decision to incorporate all five onto one sticker was unanimous, and the Tendam-redesigned five-in-one will appear at the next meeting.