QuickTake:

The new sign and landscaping around the “Flame” sculpture costs $76,000 and are being paid for with transient room taxes, which are fees added to hotel and vacation rental stays.

If you’ve driven past the intersection of Gateway Street and Beltline Road in northwest Springfield lately, you may have noticed a shiny new sign.

The 20-foot-wide, 5-foot-tall aluminum “Welcome to Springfield, Oregon” sign installed at the base of the “Flame” sculpture is part of the final phase of a project that began 10 years ago, said city spokesperson Elyse Ditzel in an email to Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

Ditzel said the project was planned in two phases: The sculpture would be installed first, followed by landscaping and an entry sign once the surrounding properties were further developed.

Landscaping is currently being installed. The city is also replacing damaged or nonfunctioning lighting components on the sculpture.

The current cost for the final phase is $76,000, including design, sign fabrication, sign installation, lighting upgrades and landscaping. It is funded through transient room tax revenues, which are fees paid by guests who stay in hotel rooms or other short-term overnight lodging, as part of the city’s public art program.

The city partnered with Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture to design the sign and landscaping for $18,245.

“The design was developed to complement the ‘Flame’ and surrounding development and create a cohesive gateway into Springfield,” said Ditzel, who noted aluminum was selected to complement the Flame’s metal basket. 

The city installed the sculpture, which features a light-up metal flame atop red poles, in 2016. Created by artist Devin Field, the artwork cost $236,000, with the majority funded by transient room tax revenue. The Oregon Department of Transportation provided additional funding.

ES&A Sign & Awning Co. in Eugene made the sign. Ditzel said the city’s $27,960 contract with ES&A includes fabrication and installation, as well as lighting upgrades around the “Flame.”

Additionally, the city is paying Morganic Roots Eco Firm $29,950 for landscaping. 

JR Morgan, owner of Morganic Roots Eco Firm in Eugene, was at the site Monday, Aug. 17, laying irrigation lines. The firm will then put in compost, soil, mulch and plants. 

“We chose ground cover, shrubs and trees, all based off of this microclimate, which is full sun. And all the plants are native,” Morgan told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. “And why that’s beneficial is once they get established, they’ll become more drought-tolerant, and they’ll also attract beneficial insects to this area.”

Ditzel said the city anticipates the remaining work will be done by the end of the summer. 

This is the second sign added in the metro area recently.

The city of Eugene last month installed three 6-foot-tall letters spelling “EUG” outside of the Hult Center. The project cost the city $45,102, including custom fabrication of the letters, exterior finishes, structural supports and bases, site preparation, installation and project management.