The sign was part of a neighborhood matching-grant project that included extensive landscaping work at a busy intersection a few blocks west of the turn-off from the Aurora Bridge on northeast Queen Anne Hill.
"The thing was brand-spanking new," lamented Parker, who added that the sign was only installed on Jan. 14.
The sign was damaged when a highway sign reading "Bump" was nailed to it and "Ugly" was spray-painted over part of it. One nail came off when the "Bump" sign was removed, but one nail is still imbedded between the two Ns in "Anne" on the neighborhood sign.
Bob Smith - who designed and built the sign with his wife, Ann - said he wants to leave the nail in for the time being because the wood might crack unless the nail is carefully removed. The spray paint on the stained part of the sign shouldn't be difficult to repair, he added
"The real damage is to the gold," Smith said of the 23-karat gold leaf that covered the sign's letters. One of the neighborhood residents wiped some of the black spray paint off the letters, but Smith said that was a mistake. "It'll make the gold very fragile."
Smith added that he wants to take the sign back to his shop for repairs because the glue used for gold-leaf application has to set up just right before the gold leaf can be applied. It takes 12 to 24 hours, he said.
"We'll try to get it repaired," said Parker, who sounded skeptical that the damage will be fixed.
He estimated the vandalism caused $1,000 in damage, which would trigger a felony charge if the person responsible is identified. He also said the sign is too expensive to replace.
Smith said it might cost closer to $500 to repair the sign. That's also a felony-level price tag, but paying the bill could be a problem because the neighborhood matching funds have all been spent, Parker said.
Smith also noted that now the sign technically belongs to the city, which might not be willing to cough up more money for repairs.
Parker, who also worked on the beautification project, said a police report was filed last week, but there were apparently no witnesses to the act of vandalism.
"I'm thinking it had to be somebody in the neighborhood who didn't like it," he said.
Smith - who spent a couple of months working on the sign - said he thinks the vandalism was probably caused by "stupid, mean-spirited" kids who are unhappy with their lives and have nothing to do.
Parker was less forgiving.
"Twenty-five neighborhood households did the labor, and this one knucklehead tried to ruin it," he said of the project. "Most people were really enthusiastic about it."
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