New logo adopted for county

Oconto County will transition to a new government logo, preferring an image of the courthouse to the nature scene the county adopted 17 years ago. The county’s Finance and Insurance Committee recommended the county adopt the new logo as an image that better reflects traditional government. Three of the 31 supervisors voted against the logo change. Bill Grady, of Oconto Falls, said he preferred to wait until the law enforcement center was completed in 2016, then adopt a logo that would represent both tourism and government. Robert Reinhart, of Oconto, and Guy Gooding, of Sobieski, said they didn’t like the look of the new logo. “I thought the old logo better displayed the variety of the county and promoted the county more than just a picture of a building saying ‘1857,’” Gooding said. “I just thought it was too much of a throwback.” “I think it should have been designed by the young people in the community,” Reinhart said. However, County Chairman Lee Rymer, chairperson of the Finance and Insurance Committee, said the courthouse logo will advertise the county well. The logo, designed by Colortech Signs and Graphics of Green Bay, will be used on letterhead, uniforms, decals on vehicles and on other county property. To keep the costs minimal, the county will phase in the logo over time to avoid the cost of converting to the new logo overnight. The new logo will be used on the next supply of stationery ordered and new vehicle delivered. During the transition, two separate logos will represent the county. The logo change was introduced to the County Board in June. Administrative Coordinator Kevin Hamann said the change was considered because the tourism logo and its message, “Oconto County a place for you,” is not appropriate in some situations, such as when an individual is being informed of a violation. The proposed logo shows an image of the courthouse, with the wording “Oconto County Wisconsin” and “Est. 1851,” which is the year Oconto County was established, not the date the courthouse was built, which is 1891. Some county supervisors said the 1851 date was misleading, but no changes were made to the proposed logo before it was adopted.