Council gets first look at potential logo

Aledo Mayor, Nick Stanley listens intently as Aledo Communications and Engagement Manager, Whitney Walters presents the most recent versions of the …

Councilwoman, Summer Jones laughs during a brief moment of banter with Whitney Walters while discussing variations to the proposed logo designs for …

Countless municipalities across the country have undergone rebranding initiatives in recent years. The City of Aledo is no exception. 

After months of working with a graphic designer, Communications and Engagement Manager for the City of Aledo Whitney Walters had her first opportunity to present Aledo’s potential next logo to the city council on Thursday, Oct. 24.

With the official logo still being decided, it is not available to the general public yet.

“As part of the City of Aledo’s ongoing efforts to enhance public spaces, improve

accessibility to city services, and invest in our community, we are excited to announce an initiative to update Aledo’s branding, including a new city logo,” Mayor Nick Stanley said in a statement. “This rebranding project aims to capture the essence of Aledo’s heritage while embracing the city’s progress and future ambitions.”

In total, Walters presented seven different logo options to the council in both monochrome and colorized versions. She also showed members of the council photos of each variation of the logo superimposed on photos of Aledo’s water tower, city vehicles, and a rendering of the council chamber in the new City Hall.

Each member of the council gave their opinion of the logos, stating what they liked or didn’t like. Walters made note of the critiques to take back to the graphic design artist as they continue to refine the vision for the future logo of the growing city.

“With recent developments such as the construction of a new city hall, a new public safety department, merger with library, and work underway on a new city website, now is the perfect time to align our brand with the energy and growth we see every day in our city,” Stanley said. “This logo update will honor Aledo’s history while showcasing the vibrancy, resilience, and unique qualities that make it a great place to live, work, and play.”

Several drafts of the logo paid homage to Aledo’s history as a stop for cowboys driving their herds to the Fort Worth Stockyards, incorporating longhorns and cattle skulls into the design. Other options presented to the council displayed Aledo’s iconic Heritage Tree that will remain in front of the new city hall once the project is complete.

“Our goal is to create a symbol that every resident can take pride in - a logo that

represents Aledo’s spirit and reflects its values and vision,” Stanley continued. “We

believe this refreshed brand will support economic development, attracting new

businesses and opportunities that benefit all Aledo residents. We look forward to

unveiling a new visual identity that celebrates where we’ve come from and where we’re going.”

Curbing donation box overpopulation

During the September meeting, the council asked City Manager Noah Simon

to research a policy that would combat the overpopulation of donation boxes popping up all over Aledo. Both inside and outside the city limits, donation boxes have popped up in droves over the last few years. 

Many of these boxes are being placed on private property with the permission of the property owner and taking valuable parking space from patrons of local businesses.

When a box appeared in the parking lot of 601 FM 1187, councilman and owner of the Aledo Athletic Club, Shane Davis, verified the property owner did not grant permission for the box to be placed in the parking lot. When Davis’ suspicions were confirmed that the owner of the box did not have permission to place the box on the property, he called the company to come remove it. 

The company replied they had gotten permission from the city to put the box on the premises. Davis informed them of his current position on the city council, as well as his knowledge that the city presently has no policy that grants organizations permission to place boxes on private property.

On Thursday, the council amended and approved a new policy effective as of Jan. 1, 2025 that will charge organizations a registration fee of $500 to place a box within Aledo city limits. The box will also be required to meet size restrictions and goods will not be permitted to overflow onto the property. 

Also, the property owner must grant permission for the box to be placed on private property. If the owner of the box violates the ordinance, the box will be impounded, and the owner of the box will be issued a $750 fine.