FENWICK ISLAND – The Town of Fenwick Island has a new town seal.
Last Friday, the Fenwick Island Town Council unanimously approved a new official town seal.
Town Manager Terry Tieman told the council Fenwick Island had used various seals throughout the years.
She explained the town’s official seal, a brown insignia featuring a fish and the town’s slogan, is often interchanged with unofficial ones, including a black and white emblem with the town’s logo, the Fenwick Island Lighthouse.
“The town seal has not been changed since the town was incorporated in 1953,” she said. “Currently, there is one official seal … but along with that seal we currently use several different seals that are unofficial.”
Tieman said she realized the confusion after being asked to submit an official town seal to the state.
“The town seal is really the brown one with the fish,” she said. “That is our official town seal and yet we’ve used several others. It’s very confusing to people.”
Tieman said she asked a graphic designer to create a new emblem that would be similar to those used by neighboring towns.
“When you compare those seals to the one we have from 1953, I think aesthetically some of them are much more attractive than the fish,” she said.
Tieman said fish from the original seal and the lighthouse from the unofficial seal can be found in the new insignia.
“This is the town seal that was developed for the Town of Fenwick Island that we are asking the council to approve today,” she said. “It incorporates the gold rope border, it incorporates the fish and it incorporates, which I think is more important, the lighthouse that is so often associated with Fenwick Island.”
Councilman Bernie Merritt asked if the town’s slogan would be incorporated into the new seal.
“Will we have a slogan there eventually?” he said.
Tieman replied that the town’s original slogan, “Fisherman’s Paradise”, will eventually be changed and placed beneath the seal.
“The first thing that came to my mind was ‘Fisherman’s Paradise … Everyone’s Paradise’ because it is a paradise,” she said.
Councilwoman Vicki Carmean applauded the new seal, but suggested the town’s residents get involved with creating a new slogan.
“I’m happy with it,” she said. “Maybe people in the town would like to submit suggestions for the slogan.”
The council voted 7-0 to approve the new town seal.
