Public votes to keep it white with 'Guelph' written on it

The people have spoken and the Verney water tower will not be getting a new look.

The city held a contest to come up with a public art design that would be placed on the refurbished water tower in the city's north end.

Two finalists were chosen and a vote was held, with no design being a third option.

The city says that 2,546 votes were counted and 38 per cent of them were in favour of not using either of the designs.

"The water tower will be repainted in white with the name 'Guelph' in blue next spring," said a city news release.

“While we were eager to explore the possibility of displaying community art on such a well-known Guelph landmark, we’ve listened to the voice of the community and will respect what we’ve heard,” said Stacey Dunnigan, manager of Culture and Tourism, in the news release.

The design by Haley Audet garnered 32 per cent of the votes and the design by Brandon Priebe got 30 per cent.

Both finalists have received a $250 honorarium for their first-round submission, and Audet will be awarded an additional $750 prize for being the winner among the two finalists.

Guelph water towers are painted every 15 years.