Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Monument topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board gives direction on downtown monument: preference for lower-maintenance star and monument over LED sign
Summary
The board directed staff to proceed with monument design options (polished-aluminum Texas star and monument base) rather than an LED billboard in the immediate downtown focal area, with staff to return with renderings and a location tied to the Liberty tree.
Board members discussed several monument and signage concepts for downtown during the March 17 meeting, including raised aluminum letters, a planted Texas star, a polished-aluminum star showpiece and a digital LED sign. The board expressed concern about maintenance and visibility and directed staff and the sign fabricator to refine a monument concept that complements the Liberty tree and the park.
Todd, the sign fabricator who attended the meeting, outlined fabrication needs: aluminum letters require concrete foundations and low bases are vulnerable to landscape damage; a star showpiece would need a raised base and landscape lighting and could measure roughly 9 feet at the top with a 3-foot base. Costs for an artistic flag or sculpture were described as potentially $40,000–$50,000; staff said a polished-metal star would be less costly than a full LED display.
Board members signaled a preference for a monument that enables pedestrian photos, preserves sightlines to the Liberty tree, is slightly elevated, and can be shown in renderings before construction. Staff and the fabricator were asked to provide polished-aluminum renderings and a recommended location; the board also discussed moving the existing LED sign to a more strategic spot near the new municipal complex if an LED is pursued in the future.
Staff will return with final renderings, refined cost options and a recommended siting plan tied to the Liberty tree and adjacent sidewalk circulation.
