The Encinitas city sign over Coast Highway 101 is shown decorated with holiday lights in this 2018 file image. (Photo by Ian McDonnell, iStock Getty Images)
A downtown Encinitas classic might soon be losing its neon.
The gateway sign spanning Coast Highway 101, a fixture in town going back to 2001 and a reproduction of a 1920s-era version, would be updated with LED lighting if the City Council approves a contract for the work at its next meeting Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The current classic neon would be replaced as part of a greater maintenance project that includes replacement of the letters, rust and wear repair, new paint and spikes to keep birds off the sign, according to the meeting’s agenda packet. The project is estimated to cost $205,205.
Efforts to update the sign go back a year, when the city only received one bid for a similar proposal, according to the project information document. That lone bidder never followed up on the project when it was awarded, however.
“Upon award of contract, the selected vendor halted all communications with the City, and no maintenance or retrofit service was performed, and the agreement was terminated,” city staff members explained in the document.
After a new bidding process this summer, which resulted in multiple bids, YESCO was selected to do the work. Part of the reason YESCO was selected was its identification of problems with the letters themselves.
“YESCO was also the only responsive bidder whose inspection was thorough enough to identify that the existing ‘ENCINITAS’ letters on the Gateway sign are significantly corroded, and that refurbishing them, including patching and weatherizing the holes from the current neon lighting system, would be more expensive and less durable than replacing the letters,” city staff members wrote in the document.
LED lighting is generally considered to be more efficient than neon and can be just as versatile. Neon, which consists of gas encased in glass tubes, is about 60 to 100 watts per foot, while LED, short for light-emitting diodes, is about 6 to 10 watts per foot, according to installers such as Blink Signs.
The contract with YESCO includes a maintenance agreement that could last up to six years. The company, short for Young Electric Sign Co., has roots in the southwest dating back to the 1920s with projects including the early Las Vegas Strip. YESCO has an office in San Diego.
If approved, the contract term would begin this month.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});