New sign lettering is installed on the Carnegie Library in Lakeport, Calif., on Friday, September 17, 2010. Photo by Richard Knoll.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport's Carnegie Library recently got some new touches to its exterior signage.

In 2009, vandals broke the historic sign lettering at the Lakeport Carnegie Library.

The Carnegie Library Building, built in 1918, is on the National Register of Historic Places and as such it is required that replacement of the letters be of original style and like-kind materials.

After looking at options, the city selected Sleeper Woods Design in Lakeport to fabricate the new letters.

John Moorhead and Rose Davidson, the owners of the Lakeport-based Sleeper Woods Design, specialize in such projects. The business' motto is “Honoring Tradition with Technology.”

After coordinating with city staff, Sleeper Woods Design began the process of fabricating the redwood letters in a style consist with the original lettering, no easy task.

It was decided that Sleeper Woods Design would fabricate two sets of redwood letters reinforced with plastic backing to ensure longevity.

Created from tight-grained old growth redwood, these isometric letters were carved with a CNC router, then adhered to an 1/8-inch plastic backing using marine epoxy.

A golden burnishing sealant was then applied as an undercoat, followed with the bright 23k gold leaf.

The bright new lettering on the Carnegie Library in Lakeport, Calif., had to be historically accurate because the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo by Richard Knoll.

Ben Mansell and Travis Costs, students at Clear Lake High School, participated in the project as part of a job shadowing program.

The students reviewed the proposal with the city of Lakeport and assisted in the production of the replacement letters.

They observed the CNC operation, cutting out the letters, and also assisted in sanding – lots of sanding – and the application of the gold leaf, under Davidson's direction.

Moorhead, the woodworking instructor at Clear Lake High School, sourced and prepped the redwood for cutting and worked with Mansell and Costs in the job shadow program.

On Sept. 17, with the help of the Lakeport Public Works Crew, Moorhead and Davidson installed the new lettering and restored the Carnegie Library Building to its full glory.

Funding for the sign lettering project was provided by the Lakeport Redevelopment Agency.

The city of Lakeport is very pleased to have worked with Sleeper Woods Design and the students of Clear Lake High School on this great example of historic preservation and community involvement.

Richard Knoll is Lakeport's community development and redevelopment agency director.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .

John Moorhead and Rose Davidson, owners of the Lakeport, Calif.-based Sleeper Woods Design, fabricated the new library letters. They were assisted by Clear Lake High School students Ben Mansell and Travis Costs, who took part in a job shadowing program. Photo by Richard Knoll.