Neighborhood association members have chosen a design for sign caps to be installed on street signs identifying the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood.
By a wide margin, the vote at the June 11 general meeting favored the roofline of the iconic Beaumont Village building on Northeast Fremont Street between 41st and 42nd avenues. That’s the same image that the neighborhood association uses on the front of the newsletter. A second option, which used an original design of a stylized “BW,” received far fewer votes. That mirrors an informal poll on the association’s Facebook page, which resulted in a 15-5 vote in favor of the roofline design.
However, the membership also narrowly voted to delay the project. Instead of immediately starting fundraising, a slim majority said that might compete with possible fundraising for a legal battle against the proposed apartment project on Northeast Fremont Street. The association board is expected to discuss the issue at its meeting July 9.
Many Portland neighborhoods have signs identifying their boundaries. The trend is the use of sign caps, which are typically placed atop the perpendicular green street signs at intersections.
Nearby neighborhoods that have used sign caps include Roseway, Sullivan’s Gulch and Dolph Park.
The city specifications call for a standard cap of 24 inches long and 4-3/4 inches high, with a domed top nearly 8 inches high. Each neighborhood designs a logo to go in the domed area.
The estimated cost for 20 to 25 sign caps is about $3,000. Each sign costs about $60 to manufacture. In addition, the city requires that its crews install the signs and charge the actual cost. That runs about $50 to $75 per sign, depending on the size of the project.
The Beaumont Business Association has pledged to donate 5 percent of its membership fees toward the sign cap project, said Dan Johnson, Association President. That amount was about $300 and expected to grow.