LAKE FOREST : City OKs 1st Step for Entrance Monument

The city last week took the first step toward building a city entrance monument.

The City Council agreed Tuesday to spend $7,500 to design at least two monuments. The total budget for the project is $50,000.

“We just want to define our identity more than anything, so people realize that they are in Lake Forest when they enter our city,” Mayor Ann Van Haun said.

Van Haun said the design and location of the markers has not yet been determined. However, the city is looking to place them in heavily traveled sections of Lake Forest.

Two potential homes for the monuments are Lake Forest Drive or El Toro Road, near Interstate 5.

“Unless you’re really involved in the city, it’s hard to know the difference between Lake Forest and Laguna Hills or Laguna Niguel, it’s all getting so built up,” she said. “Even a lot of citizens don’t know the boundaries.”

The council has been adamant about having the city’s borders marked with something more substantial than a simple sign.

“We definitely don’t want ‘leaving’ and ‘entering’ Lake Forest signs,” Van Haun said. “We really want something that distinctively represents Lake Forest.”

The design contract was awarded to Willdan Assn. of Industry. The firm is scheduled to submit preliminary designs to the council on June 15.