Commission discusses mascot, branding and arts master plan as amphitheater project advances
Summary
Commission members brainstormed mascot and branding ideas for Stow City while staff outlined an ArtsNow-funded arts master plan by Sabertooth and reported the amphitheater agreement is near finalization; commissioners set homework to narrow mascot options for the January meeting.
Commissioners spent substantial time discussing branding and a potential mascot to tie arts programming into city events. Members proposed narrowing choices to a short list for community input and suggested outreach channels (FunBuzz email, city website, pop-up events) to collect ideas. Options discussed included a fox, deer, seal or a newly created character; some members cautioned against duplication with school or library mascots.
Chair also briefed the commission on the arts master plan process: the city received a grant from ArtsNow and engaged a consulting firm named Sabertooth to produce the Stow City arts master plan; the plan will be presented to the city council for policy consideration. The commission was told to expect focus groups and community engagement organized by the consultant. On a related infrastructure item, staff reported that an amphitheater agreement was close to final and, in the ideal schedule, construction could be completed in about nine months after groundbreaking; commissioners were asked to prepare for programming and wayfinding/artwork to be incorporated once construction begins.
Members assigned 'homework' to bring mascot concepts to the January meeting and discussed using interactive surveys or in-person voting to choose finalists. The commission did not adopt a final mascot or branding plan at this meeting; next steps are community outreach and concept refinement.
