| September 8, 2004
Solana Beach All Aboard Rail Trail Sign
City Commits Funds to Build Twin Arches
By Ben Fuchs
STAFF WRITER
SOLANA BEACH – Construction of a multicolored
monument marking the southern end of the Coastal Rail Trail in the
city should start next month, Solana Beach officials and the artist
said.
AdvertisementThe City Council voted unanimously
last night to allocate $30,000 from a contingency fund to San Diego-based
Schmidt Design Group for the Gateway Sign, created by Del Mar artist
Betsy Schulz.
The marker will feature two aluminum arches, each
supported by two steel and concrete pillars covered in colorful
mosaics made of a variety of materials. Schulz said the first arch
will be about 14 feet tall and read "Solana Beach." The
second arch, set back several feet from the first, will be about
three feet shorter and read "Rail Trail."
The city voted to set aside money for the sign
in the planning stages of the trail. In February 2003, after reviewing
several design proposals, residents and members of the city arts
committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission chose Schulz for
the project. She has said she will try to raise $15,000, bringing
the monument's estimated cost to $45,000.
Schulz said she will meet with the arts committee
Sept. 15 to consider fund-raising ideas.
Assistant City Manager Matt Rodriguez said the
city's 1.7-mile segment of the trail, a hiking and bicycling path
from San Diego to Oceanside, should be completed by mid-to late
October. Schulz could begin work soon thereafter, he said.
The monument is intended to represent the city's
history. Schulz designed the pillars to depict the rise of Solana
Beach from a natural setting to a city of 13,000. The bottom of
each pillar will be decorated in subdued earth tones, representing
the city's early days, gradually giving way to brilliant blues,
yellows and reds higher up.
"They become a representation of what Solana
Beach is now," she said. "It's a very vibrant community."
Schulz said she also plans to use trinkets and
local beach stones in making the monument.
She also interviewed several longtime Solana Beach
residents and is likely to incorporate quotes from them on the pillars.
Ben Fuchs: (760) 476-8208; ben.fuchs@uniontrib.com
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