Downtown Area Development Plan (DARP) Committee in front of the new "Heart of Downtown" landmark in Lacombe on Wednesday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan

Heart of Lacombe signature landmark installed in downtown

Sep 1, 2022 | 10:31 AM

Lacombe city council and the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan (DARP) Committee unveiled on Wednesday their new “Heart of Lacombe” landmark.

Located on the southeast corner of Lest We Forget Park (outside 5214 50 Ave.), the landmark is described as a dynamic heart designed for social media as it is the first monument in the city to illuminate during darker periods for a distinctive look, changing colors on significant dates throughout the year.

“It is a thrill to see the first of many DARP Priority Projects come to fruition,” said Mayor Grant Creasey. “The new Heart of Lacombe will draw residents and visitors alike to Lacombe’s historic downtown, benefiting our businesses and community organizations located in the core. I look forward to the many projects the DARP Committee has in store for our community over the coming years.”

A year-round, social media-shareable site, city officials say it is made to capture the memorable experience of visiting Lacombe’s downtown by providing a frame for photos.

The heart results from months of collaboration and planning by the nine-member DARP Committee that they say led to a visually appealing, interactive piece that is an expression of the connection residents feel with their community.

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Councillor Chris Ross agreed, saying he would even like to see the projects all set up in five years rather than over its designated 10-year span.

“This is my hometown; my family has been here since 1919. You just want your heritage maintained. You want the aesthetics of Lacombe to attract more people to Lacombe,” he said. “We’ve got an extremely wonderful, generous, volunteerism in our community and a lot of heart pride.”

For DARP Committee Chair Joe Whitbread, the idea stems from an even deeper meaning.

“When we were coming up with a plan of what our social media landmark might look like in Lacombe, we noticed when looking at the word, that there’s a silent B in Lacombe and poetically, the B doesn’t need to be silent and shouldn’t be silent. We want others from other communities to know we exist and we want our residents and our business owners to know,” he said. “Then we realized when titled on its side, a heart looks like a B.”

The landmark installation also coincides with new wayfinding signs throughout the community which use the new heart of downtown branding.

Whitbread says businesses are invited to use the new branding to support their marketing efforts in store windows, on merchandise and flyers to increase Lacombe’s new visual identity.

“We wanted to create a unique piece that would grab the eye and camera lenses of everyone who comes through downtown,” he said. “This signature landmark is the cornerstone of the branding for all upcoming DARP Priority Projects and creates an ongoing identity our citizens can be proud of.”

The projects are funded through council’s commitment of $1.7 million for DARP Priority Projects. The projects were chosen by the DARP Committee, which worked with O2 Planning and Consulting + Design Administration to expand on the priorities identified by the public in a previously released survey.

READ: Lacombe city council approves downtown redevelopment priority projects

The committee says they identified specific capital projects to undertake within the DARP boundary and prioritized those projects based on impact, available funding, and other factors.

For more information, view the DARP Report.