NISKAYUNA -- Niskayuna is set to expand its search for a new town logo, delaying a vote on the proposed new logo that was unveiled in July.
The seal recommended by the town's logo committee over the summer features a purple color scheme with a heron flying over the Mohawk River, framed by a pair of white pine trees.
The logo was chosen from a batch of 52 initial designs devised by Cinder Design Co., the firm hired by the town.
The proposed logo received mixed reviews at a public hearing in August, with some town residents contending that the proposed logo did not adequately represent the town's history.
Former Town Historian Denis Brennan found inaccuracies in 2018 with the logo the town adopted in 1976, which depicted five teepees in the background instead of the historically accurate longhouses used by the Iroquois tribe who inhabited the land.
The logo working group formed in 2022 to select a new town logo and delivered its recommended logo to the Town Board in July.
Town Supervisor Erin Cassady-Dorion noted during Tuesday's Town Board meeting that a vote on the proposed logo is not imminent, with the board instead opting to collect more community feedback and exploring alternate logos for residents to weigh in on.
Cassady-Dorion said on Wednesday that the town has been contacted by local graphic design artists offering free design services.
"Another recurring suggestion is that we collaborate with college design students or our own Niskayuna High School art students to create new options," Cassady-Dorion said. "We had budgeted some money in 2025 to help with integrating the new design, but these funds may also be used to develop additional ideas. It's my understanding that logos rejected from the previous design team had to do with the opinions and research of our town's committee, so using the same company to rework some existing options is not off the table."
Cassady-Dorion said she would detail the next step in the logo search at the town's Jan. 28 meeting.
The town previously allocated $3,000 to the Cinder Design Co. of Schenectady for the design work, with an additional $3,000 set aside for placing the new logo on town flags and vehicles.
Resident Leslie Gold said during the Nov. 19 Town Board meeting that she was offering a $200 prize for a resident logo design contest.
"I think we need to start over, and I don't mean with a different consultant or with the committee," Gold said. "I think we should throw it open to the public."
Town Board member Jason Moskowitz, who was part of the working group that helped select the proposed logo, said on Wednesday that he saw value in gathering some additional community input.
"The work group that I was honored to be a part of worked very hard and put in a countless amount of time and effort and they completed the mission that they were tasked with, which was to bring the Town Board one final design," the lawmaker said. "After hearing from our residents during the public hearing and some additional feedback, I think we as a board realized that not everyone loves the design. As much as I'd have loved to move forward with the final design that was brought to us by the work group, as Town Board members who are elected to represent the community as a whole, we have an obligation to address concerns as we hear them."