UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS (KGTV) — The University Heights sign has welcomed visitors to the San Diego neighborhood for nearly 30 years, but failing transformers and aging neon lighting have left the landmark in need of costly repairs that could run as high as $175,000.
Marc Johnson, with the University Heights Community Association, said the sign's problems have been building for months.
"Over the last 6 to 9 months we've started seeing significant issues cropping up," Johnson said.
Johnson said the sign's internal components are deteriorating with age.
"There are transformers that are failing, shorting out. There's neon that's failing. So it's just… it's the age of the sign," Johnson said.
Fixing the sign won't be simple. Johnson said the reserve fund set aside for maintenance and repairs is nearly depleted — and the estimates from vendors are steep.
"By the end of fiscal 2027, there will be less than $10,000 in there, and the minimum price that we've gotten from vendors is $25,000 to get the sign barely up and running again and over $175,000 to do a full refurbishment," Johnson said.
Johnson said the dwindling reserve fund prompted him to look more closely at how money has been spent, pointing to inefficiencies like streetlights running around the clock.
"You look at some of the street lights are on 24/7. That's driving up our power costs," Johnson said.
In a statement, the city said it is working with vendors to get the sign fixed as soon as possible and that the sign's lights will remain partially on until full repairs are made.
In the meantime, the community has launched a fundraiser to help cover refurbishment costs. Johnson said local businesses have a personal stake in seeing the sign restored.
"Our businesses around here love that sign because where are you located? We're right underneath the University Heights sign. Everybody knows what that is," Johnson said.
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