By Danny Bernardini
Article Launched: 08/13/2008
Supervisors got a sneak peak Tuesday at the new signs that will decorate the poorly marked Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville.
The board then unanimously approved a nearly 40-foot monument marker that will sit near East Monte Vista Avenue and directional signs for inside the complex, both resembling an aircraft's tail fin and displaying the old Nut Tree logo.
The presentation of the design concepts came after nine months of planning, presentations at public meetings and several trips back to the drawing board. The concepts were created by Fluoresco Lighting and Signs, Inc. of Sacramento.
The sign and monument are part of an updated Airport Layout Plan that will become part of the Airport Master Plan. Supervisors approved the project in October, budgeting $105,000 for the signage that will help identify the location and direct those walking and driving through the airport.
Of the $105,000 budgeted, $30,000 will come from the city of Vacaville and $75,000 from unanticipated funds from the county. Supervisor Barbara Kondylis said county staff should at least get verbal approval from Vacaville before moving forward with the installation of the signs.
"We should call them up and ask them if they agree," Kondylis said. "This is how we've gotten into trouble with Vacaville before."
The two design elements were recommended by the Nut Tree Airport Advisory Committee with some input by the Public Art Committee.
Throughout the nine-month process to create the signs, it was stressed they should consider the future of the airport, while acknowledging and honoring the airport's heritage.
Also presented Tuesday were a couple of ideas that were not chosen for the project. One of which was a large archway that would have spanned across County Airport Road.
A concept for the directional sign that was turned down was a wing from a plane coming out of the ground. It was passed up because many thought it resembled the wing of a plane that had crashed.
