New sign to welcome people driving east from Rancho Santa Fe to Solana Beach

People coming into Solana Beach from Rancho Santa Fe will soon be welcomed by a new sign.

The Solana Beach City Council awarded a nearly $40,000 construction contract for the project as part of the July 8 consent calendar, a list of items approved with a single vote and no discussion. In January, the council unanimously approved the entry sign and monument design for the median at Lomas Santa Fe Drive and Highland Drive.

Designed by two volunteers from the Public Arts Commission, or PAC, the “Gateway to Sunshine” entry sign and monument depicts a 55-foot-long serpentine, Corten steel “S” shape with cutouts of the city name and a sunset. It will be constructed on the median with the city name facing east for those entering from Rancho Santa Fe, and the sunset at the west end of the curved piece for traffic on each side of the median on Lomas Santa Fe.

The design includes solar lights to illuminate the city name at night. Drought-tolerant landscaping will also be added.

The city received four bid proposals, with the $39,990 bid from Oceanside-based Greenfield Fence, Inc. being the lowest of the four. The award includes a construction contingency of approximately 13 percent, or $5,010. The total project will cost $45,600, which includes a $600 ad on the project in the paper. Funds will come from the public arts reserve account, which is funded through the transient occupancy tax paid by hotel visitors.

The contract allows for 30 working days, or six weeks, to complete the project.

Once constructed, “Gateway to Sunshine” will be the city’s fourth welcome sign. The other three signs include a “Welcome to Solana Beach” sign on South Highway 101 from Encinitas, the Coastal Rail Trail tile arches on North Highway 101 from Del Mar, and a Solana Beach sign with a fish and kelp sculpture at the Eden Gardens Pump Station.