One of the signs that greeted visitors to Second Street in Belmont Shore is missing, but the cause isn’t theft. The sign, already covered in termite damage, was hit by a car and taken down as a city commission works to approve a new design in the coming months.
The “Belmont Shore Welcomes You” at the west end of the Second Street corridor near Livingston Drive has been closed for about a month, but some residents have only just taken notice.
Termites have slowly eaten away at the sign over the years, but the decision to take it down came after it was hit by a vehicle, said Matt Pederson, co-owner of Legends Sports Bar and chairman of the Belmont Shore Parking and Business Improvement Area Advisory Commission.
“We had to wait for Public Works to tell us they can’t put it back up,” Pederson said Monday. “It was just too far away.”
The commission has been working over the past year to approve a new design for two signs that will replace the old signs at either end of the corridor. While the City Council established guidelines for city signage in 2015, which included preferred colors, fonts and templates, the Belmont Shore Commission has been pursuing its own process.
A representation of the signage concept currently under review by the Belmont Shore Parking and Business Improvement Area Advisory Commission.
Pederson said the city’s design templates “didn’t capture the essence of the neighborhood,” so the commission voted unanimously to go in a different direction.
The design that was the focus of discussions for the commission features a red flag at the top of a pole with blue lettering that reads “Welcome to Belmont Shore”. The sign is expected to be illuminated for visitors traveling to Belmont Shore from the east and west.
The new signs could cost about $40,000 each to install, but a final price has yet to be determined as the commission finalizes its plans for the replacement. Peterson said the commission would like to have the final design approved in the coming months and could consider a crowdfunding effort if the commission doesn’t have enough funds.
The commission recently approved a 50 cent hourly increase for parking at Belmont Shore, and the phasing out of most parklets across the city will free up additional parking spaces that could boost revenue. The projects of the commission money are paid exclusively with parking proceeds.
Pederson is scheduled to give a verbal briefing on the process at Thursday morning’s commission meeting and said the commission could vote on the project soon.
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