Council OKs $31,285 branding and wayfinding contract to create cohesive Stillwater identity

The Stillwater City Council on Sept. 8 approved a $31,285 contract with Found Design LLC, doing business as Merge, to provide professional design and planning services for a citywide branding effort. Staff said the branding work will be coordinated with a wayfinding project led by Visit Stillwater and that Merge will spend about a year engaging stakeholders and touring key sites in October.

City staff and the consultant explained that the city currently uses multiple inconsistent brands across parks, gateways and water towers, and that a cohesive brand would improve recognition for residents, businesses and visitors. Staff said branding and wayfinding will be implemented in a phased approach and that funding for wayfinding components has been identified from the visitor tax (Visit Stillwater). Implementation of the brand across city assets—trash carts, water towers and park signage—will be phased over time to control costs.

Council members asked for a clear implementation plan and funding commitments before extensive rollouts so the city will not adopt an identity it cannot follow through on. Staff responded that the Merge contract will produce phased priorities and cost estimates; water‑utility tower repainting and new park signage were cited as early priorities. The council approved the contract 4‑0.

The staff presentation thanked Visit Stillwater and Christy Morrison for coordinating wayfinding work and said the branding project will be regionally informed and include community input opportunities. The contract award authorizes staff to proceed with design planning; specific implementation budgets for replacing physical assets will come later and be phased.