Rocky Mountain House town council has set aside $200,000 for a possible, new, highly-visible, Instagram-worthy landmark.

Council says, however, the where, when and how is yet to be determined.

“I don’t think we should be stuck on a downtown landmark,” said councillor Len Phillips. “It could be downtown, it could be at the museum, it could be out at the historic site. It could be something, what that something is, I don’t know.”

Council acknowledged the success of other landmarks in similar-sized communities, such as the UFO landing pad in St. Paul, the beaver in Beaverlodge, the skunk in Beiseker, and the sausage in Mundare.

Councillor Ken Moesker says, whatever happens, don’t call it a water tower replacement scheme.

“The water tower was a significant loss, there’s no doubt about it. It was built on the highest point in town- you could see it driving in on the highway,” says Moesker. “We don’t have that anymore, so replacing the water tower or building another one, I don’t think that is a consideration.”

The water tower was removed in May 2017.

Councillor Tina Hutchinson suggested a landmark attraction should reflect the resiliency of Rocky Mountain House, as has been seen throughout the community’s history up to the present day.

Hutchinson also suggested the money may be better spent promoting the advantages Rocky already possesses.

Moesker agrees that the community already has a number of notable landmarks such as the Helen Hunley wall as a backdrop for photos.

Town council passed a motion for administration to develop a public engagement plan regarding a new landmark to be brought back to the June 11 Governance & Priority Committee Meeting.