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Here is an artistic rendering of the proposed monument.
The concept of the monument is to create an
image that is representative of our community's name. Sierra Tempe invokes the
vision of the Mountains of the Sierra Nevada range. The concept is a three
dimensional backdrop to give the appearance of two peaks with a valley between…or
perhaps a mountain rising from behind another mountain. This valley is intended to be back-lit to
provide a soft glow that separates the two hills expanding on the
three-dimensional vision. This back drop, similar in color to the walls, is
wedged between two 24”pillars, covered with stone that matches the recently
completed walls, and capped with 28” chiseled stone caps. Within the front of
each column will be an opening covered with an ornamental covering. The depth
will be nominal, but visually interesting.
The Name Sierra Tempe will be cut into a 3 x 5
foot sheet of steel treated to give it a darker, aged, or historic patina. This
plate will be offset mounted creating a space for accent back-lighting. We
intend to have the surface of the wall behind the letter openings be painted a
lighter tan or off-white so the letters will be easily visible during the
day. At night the openings will be
filled with back-lighting, creating a soft illumination that will allow the words,
“Sierra Tempe” to be easily visible and readable at night. Additionally, we
intend to angle the monuments toward traffic to increase visibility and ease of
reading.
Placement has not yet been finalized, but it is
anticipated that there will be one placed at each entrance as well as a new
monument being placed at the eastern edge of the community for traffic heading
west on Ray Road, and another monument placed near Knox and Priest for traffic
heading south on Priest. Placement is subject to final approval of holders of
Utility easements that run along Priest and Ray.
Although, at times, it seems like this project
would never get off the ground, let alone completed, we assure you the Board
has been hard at work trying to overcome some of the engineering and easement
issues that come with such a massive project. We do appreciate your patience,
and ask for your input on this nearly final design.
Notes: There are several important things to consider. The colors shown in the drawing do not accurrately reflect the colors t be applied. Real life colors do not transition well ito electronic media. Itis intended that the stucco surface will be painted to match the wall color. The stone will be the same color palate as the wall columns. The designed cutouts on the front of each pillar will be created using a shallow indentation and masonry work to give the illusion that it is deeper than it really is. This is intended to keep it from collecting debris.
The final selection of the letter font is yet to
be made. We are leaning toward Times New
Roman, to take us back to the font used in the original signage installed by
the developer. Your thoughts are
valuable here. Regardless of the font
selected, the spacing of the lettering will be meticulously planned to make
sure they are far enough apart to prevent bleeding of light like we are experiencing
on the current monuments, which makes them very hard to read at night. We are selecting plate steel with cutout
letters, not just for their aesthetics, but also for their durability. Damage from vandalism should be significantly
minimized.
Finally, for those homeowners who have asked why we are replacing the monuments, the short list is as follows:
We are replacing the existing monuments because:
· The
font choice for the letters makes them too big and too close together. Some
homeowners referred to them as cartoonish.
· White
letters with white back-lighting makes them illegible at night
· Letters
too close together.
· They
were mounted parallel to the street, requiring drivers to be practically on
them before they could be read
· Material
used for offsetting letters make them easily damageable
· Cost
of replacement letters Exorbitant
· Cost
to remove existing stone and applying new stone to match the wall pillars
almost as much as new monument
On behalf of the Board, thank you for your patience and your input.
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Monuments
