It seems likely that plans to build a large-scale tourist sign in Kamloops are going to be put on-hold for a while.

The City’s Governance and Service Excellence Committee has approved a staff request to shelve the project while they look to improve on the original concept, which was a 5 foot high, 20 foot long Kamloops sign in Riverside Park, which was to be set up before the Memorial Cup.

Staff now suggest the sign should be adapted to include Tk’emlúps and Kamloops together on the single sign, which staff says is something they would recommend, while still maintaining the original dimensions.

Indigenous and External Relations Liaison Sarah Candido also says they’re not sure if Riverside Park is the best choice.

“Although many see Riverside Park as the best location choosing between two parks [McArthur Island], many feel we still don’t have the best spot identified for the sign yet, and that we should keep looking,” Candido told the Committee Thursday.

“One example of why this area may need reconsidering is that space the sign was proposed to be in Riverside Park will now have a skating rink in the middle of it.”

Candido says there are also questions about overall exposure.

“Often marquee signs are also located very near traffic for both foot and vehicles. So in the next couple of years, a new space that better fits the marquee sign may come to fruition.”

While the committee is now going to recommend the project be put on hold, Councillor Katie Neustaeter voted begrudgingly in favor of the move.

“Being told ‘If you vote for this, it will be in before Memorial Cup.’ A year later we’re sending it back to nowhereland so that it can become another project. That is really frustrating for the public and, frankly, for council,” Neustaeter told staff at the committee meeting.

In accepting the staff recommendation to put the project on hold, the council committee is recommending the $90,000 dollars the City was going to spend on it through gaming funds be put aside exclusively for the project in the future.

The overall project was originally slated to cost $150,000, but would have included grant money through Tourism Kamloops.

The whole of City Council will have to make the final determination as to whether to shelve the project.