ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The city of Liberal will see some new updates in a couple different areas thanks to some action by the Liberal City Commission at its most recent meeting Tuesday evening.
One of the major update projects has been with the City of Liberal logo, which Chief Communications Officer Keeley Young said has been in the works for a long time.
“The current City of Liberal logo graphic has been in place since 2009 and has received only a slight modification to incorporate the new slogan approved in May 2024. Efforts were made in early 2023 to engage the community in a logo redesign contest, which did not yield a standout design with practical applications for use,” Young said. “As staff have introduced new branding standards to enhance Liberal’s professional appearance and perception, it has become clear the continued use of the current logo hinders the ability to create cohesive and visually appealing new content. A new concept incorporating the shape of Liberal’s historic railroad depot building was developed by staff at no added cost to the city. The design has been mocked up to test its flexible application across a variety of uses – including digital, print, display signage, embroidered apparel, and other physical spaces. Introduction of a new logo would occur in stages, with many changes carrying little to no cost of transition. Doing this will also help launch some of the work we’re wanting to do in our Comprehensive Plan, which will be coming before the commission next month. Using existing print supplies, branding vehicles only when rotated from the fleet, and using current staff uniforms until their regularly scheduled reorder timeframes are all strategies which will keep transition costs low. High-cost transitions, such as building and public space signage, will also be replaced as needed. Many current destination signs – parks, the city cemetery, visitor info center, etc. – are well beyond their useful life (15-plus years) and in need of an update. Replacement costs for signage can be reduced by reskinning existing fixtures. We felt this would be the best time, and we’re really happy with how things turned out. We wanted it to be modern and something the community could be proud of.”
Ultimately, the commission unanimously approved the new design.
Another major project was the creation of a new Community Event Guide, which also ended up being unanimously approved by the commission.
“City staff created a Community Event Guide and Community Event Application process in order to help event organizers plan larger-scale events hosted in city-owned spaces like parks, streets, and other public areas,” Young said. “The guide presents a comprehensive collection of information about a variety of details planners need to know, including policies, permit procedures, and helpful local and state contacts, and was created through the collaboration of a lot of people and departments. Links to various resources are included throughout the document for ease of use, and there’s a little bit of everything included in here. We did make some updates to accommodate the recent approval of the common consumption area so businesses can use that area. Organizers are asked to submit an application – which is new – with event details at least 45 days prior to hosting a large community event on city-owned property. Applicants are required to carry a certificate of liability insurance, provide a general site map, and attach copies of any applicable support documents, including licenses, permits, and other details as requested. Once that application is received, City staff will review the request and, if approved, issue an approval letter. Information provided in the event application will inform the appropriate city personnel to coordinate resources to help support a successful event in accordance with our policies, and it helps us allocate our resources the way we need to. The event guide and application will be hosted on the www.cityofliberal.org Web site. We worked really hard to pull together everything an event organizer would need to know about hosting an event in Liberal.”
In other new business, the commission unanimously approved Resolution No. 2435 concerning the abatement of conditions on Lots 1-3, Block 22 of the Airport Industrial Park. Cimarron General Contracting was ultimately awarded the bid in the amount of $17,500 for the project. The commission also unanimously approved the purchase of four Motorola APX 6000 handheld radios and chargers at the quoted price of $18,172.32 for the Liberal Fire Department and concluded the meeting’s new business by approving the survey process of all surplus properties within the Airport Industrial Park for an amount not to exceed $75,000. Funding will come from the Economic Development portion of the 1-cent Sales Tax.
