Bristol Monument to get facelift
Ex-NWT commissioner says graffiti-covered base gives visitors bad first impression of city
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, April 18, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A longtime Yellowknife resident in calling on the city to give the Bristol Monument a cleanup and a facelift.
Former NWT commissioner ansd long-time Yellowknife resident Anthony Whitford points out the profanity spray-painted on the base of Briston Monument on the outskirts of the city. Whitford says the site needs a facelift because, among other reasons, it is often the first landmark tourists see when they arrive in the city.
- John McFadden/NNSL photo |
Former NWT commissioner Tony Whitford says the graffiti-covered base of the monument is an eyesore and not what the city and its residents would want as a first impression for people visiting the city.
The monument stands near the corner of Old Airport Road and Highway 3 and is often the first landmark seen by people visiting the city. It serves as a historic symbol of the pilots and planes that were instrumental in helping to open up the North.
"Vandals have been working at it. (Tourists) want to have a picture of it and it has all that graffiti ... it's starting to look like railroad cars," Whitford said. "The city should paint over the graffiti to make it look good for the summer."
Whitford also pointed out three windows on the plane are missing.
Nonetheless, he does not want to see the base of the monument fenced off to prevent vandals from getting at it and possibly inside it. Rumors have persisted in the city for years of people actually living inside the plane.
Whitford said he would also like to see a sign erected that explains the historical significance of the monument.
"I don't see anything here that explains the history. Maybe the historical people in town could write up something and have a little plaque there."
Dave Hurley, facilities manager for the city, said the monument site was inspected by crews on Thursday, adding he sees vandalism every year about this time.
"Vandalism and graffiti writing happens. We'll go out and fix everything up and once it gets warmer we'll paint over the graffiti," Hurley said. "A lot of people go out there and take pictures and we're very conscious of that. We want to make sure it's in the best light we can put it in."
Hurley said the three missing windows will also be covered over so they match the rest of the windows. The money for the fix will come out of the city's general maintenance budget, Hurley said.
"We probably have paint left over from previous times we did it," Hurley said. "Vandalism occurs throughout the city in a lot of parks and playgrounds. We have a maintenance budget for this and we'll fix it as soon as we can."
Hurley said graffiti is difficult to prevent, suggesting much of it happens under the cover of darkness.
Whitford, who noticed that some of the graffiti appeared to have been painted by graduating high school students, has a message for those thinking of defacing the monument.
"Please don't do that. I'd ask the kids - please respect the structure that's there for your benefit."
The British-made Bristol Freighter was the first wheeled plane to land at the North Pole. This particular plane, owned by Northern aviation pioneer Max Ward, was retired from service in 1969. It was bought from Wardair for a dollar in 1970 by the Yellowknife Museum Society and later hoisted to its current location.
This is not the first time concerns have been expressed about keeping the site presentable. In 1981, Yellowknifer published a story in which city officials were calling for a fence to be built around it with barbed wire at the top. In 1996, Yellowknifer published a story stating the monument was going to get its first facelift in years.
