Sign, banner projects making progress

             Residents may see more evidence of the village’s rebranding effort as plans for new gateway signs, additional banners and street signs are set to start making more of an appearance.

            Banners bearing the new buffalo logo and “Smart. With Heart” mantra have started appearing on village roadways and the village has been touting merchandise with the new branding in the past 12 months.

            The goal, village officials say, is to enhance community identity, pride and engagement. The schedule for the rollout of the various brand elements is fluid and is dependent on variables for each phase.

            For example, the installation of banners, done by the Department of Public Works, is based on the cost of materials for the actual banner and installation. Banners can be seen, among other places, Rt. 83 north of Lake-Cook Road. The $70,000 price tag is part of the village budget.

            Other components are a bit more challenging. Twelve sites have been targeted for new gateway signs. Village officials say there is no specific schedule in place and engineering work and prioritizing of locations still needs to be done. Gateway signs will be found at various entry points to the village.

            The gateway signs are the most ambitious part of the signage program.

            The village has allocated $445,000 for gateway signs. This includes $129,000 for engineering consultation, which is underway. The goal is to develop a final “construction-ready” gateway sign design.

A proposed gateway sign

            Originally, two designs were considered, a vertical design for 10 of the 12 locations and a horizontal design for two locations with wider right-of-ways, however it was found that the horizontal sign proved more challenging to achieve the desired aesthetics and scale while remaining cost-effective.

            Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Molly Gillespie told the Village Board at its March 2 meeting that The standardized sign design is nearly complete, and that the next step is securing “real-world fabrication and installation pricing from manufacturers to establish a reliable base cost”.

            Consideration of an Overpass sign on McHenry Rd. (IL-83) is still pending. Staff is mulling over the feasibility of a sign on the pedestrian overpass. The focus, board members were told, remains with new gateway signs.

            Perhaps the most ambitious part of the program will be the replacement of all of the village’s street signs with new ones that will include the new village logo. This initiative is expected to take five years with a section of the village done each year. There will be five sections. While the signs will have a new look, All street and traffic signs are regulated by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which assigns specific codes based on function, color, and shape.