As officials in La Grange Park mull ways to give the village a cohesive look while setting it apart from neighboring communities, one element could stand out. Preliminary plans for overhauling the village’s public spaces include a large monument-style sign in the area of 31st Street and La Grange Road that would welcome motorists to La Grange Park, and perhaps even entice them to head east toward the village’s main business district. One suggestion for the sign calls for it to be close to 18 feet tall, said John Pobojewski, a director with the Chicago-based design studio Span Studio, which the village has retained as consultants. “We’re thinking of this being weathered steel,” he said. “It’s going to be really big and a lot of money. … I think high five figures.” A rendering created by Span Studio shows a proposed monument-style sign that would be placed in the area of 31st Street and La Grange Road in La Grange Park as part of a rebranding effort in the village. (Hank Beckman/Pioneer Press) That was just one of the elements the Span creative team has come up with so far that they presented to officials at a special meeting Jan 14. “Our role, after completing the branding and identity work, is to now roll it out into what we call a streetscape toolkit,” Pobojewski told village officials and residents, noting that the objective was “to provide one cohesive brand identity across the entire village.” The draft plan for rebranding is not yet official, and the Village Board will consider the matter for formal approval later this winter or early spring. Span Studio, which has performed similar studies for neighboring Berwyn and Columbus, Indiana, was retained for $81,400 to perform the service. The rebranding plan objectives include changes to public signage and other streetscape elements, including signs in front of public buildings, some street signs and “way finding” guides directing people to places of interest such as the public library, Village Hall or the Village Market Shopping Center. Other elements that could be refurbished include public seating, village furnishings, decorative stop signs, receptacles, planters, bike racks, and landscaping. Public lighting throughout the village might also be in store for a makeover. Pobojewski said the village’s updated look could take cues from existing infrastructure. “We chose material that’s very classic,” he said. “It was inspired by what we saw around us.” Among the ideas was a look that evokes “a weathered steel that sort of comes directly from the Salt Creek Bridge.” One way to achieve a new look without breaking the budget is to use veneers, especially ones made of aluminum, because “it will be one one-hundredth of the cost” of bronze and other higher-end materials. “We have a black powder-coated, we have bronze anodized aluminum veneer and a prairie brick veneer. It’s not actual prairie brick, it’s made out of concrete and cast into a mold,” Pobojewski said. John Pobojewski, design director of Span Studio, explains the focus of La Grange Park’s rebranding efforts during a special meeting Jan. 14. (Hank Beckman/Pioneer Press) An update of the village’s streetlights would also allow officials to reduce light pollution, “of which we have an abundance of in the Chicago suburbs,” he said. “We’re only recommending dark-sky approved, high efficiency LED light fixtures,” Pobojewski said. He also said that to make lighting more cohesive — and easier for Public Works — Span was suggesting one specification for both 31st Street and La Grange Road, the two main streets in La Grange Park. “Either one light fixture, or two,” he said, with one on top of the pole and one on the bottom. If two are chosen, the bottom would illuminate the sidewalk. Trustee Jamie Zaura asked if there was any idea yet of the cost of new lights. “No, not yet,” Pobojewski answered. “We are sensitive to the fact that the light fixtures, in this photo here are very expensive,” stressing that Span would work with the company actually making the lights to use some preexisting fixtures and not something totally new. Village officials will now provide feedback to Span in order to settle a final plan. Staff is also in the process of formulating a budget for next year that will include funding for streetscape improvements. But there are no set cost estimates for the rebranding at this time. The rebranding will not be done all at once, but will take place over a period of time, officials said. Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.