Well, the $49K isn't that bad. Consider this, the past logos where either designed for free (through some sort of student contest) or given nominal payment. Clearly, those logos were inadequate (because we are getting a NEW logo). Now we have to pay thousands of dollars of removing the old logos from buildings and printed materials.
All of this will definitely cost alot of money. So, by paying the $49K is a bargain in the long run because it saves us money from getting rid of a crappy logo later on.
I do think that we should have been contacted or given input on the design though.
