By Mary O’KEEFE

The embattled Welcome to Glendale sign at Lowell Avenue on Foothill Boulevard has been removed – permanently – by the City of Glendale.

A couple of years ago, the City of Glendale partnered with the Friends of North Glendale to create and install Welcome to Glendale signs on Foothill Boulevard. There were several meetings held about the signs, including at the Crescenta Valley Community Association and at both the Glendale City Council and CV Town Council, among others. CVW wrote articles concerning the signs prior to their design in which public comment was requested. But when the signs were installed on Foothill Boulevard just west of Pennsylvania Avenue and just east of Lowell Avenue, many in the community were surprised, and not happy, to say the least.

The comments against the signs reflected a variety of opinions concerning the design, the apparent separatism of the area known as Crescenta Valley, even though part of the area is governed by the City of Glendale and the other part by the Los Angeles County; however, many were concerned about the placement of the “monument” signs in the center of the boulevard.

Unlike the new Welcome to La Crescenta signs on Foothill Boulevard, the Glendale signs were not surrounded by medians. They were placed in the center lane with a small circle of yellow cement curbing around them. There were barricades encircling the curbs shortly after the construction of the signs was completed.

The sign near Lowell Avenue was at the top of a hill that is heavily trafficked. Community members had stated it was difficult to see as the colors blended in with the road. Lowell Avenue leads to an entrance to the Foothill (210) Freeway and traffic traveling westbound on Foothill Boulevard often made the left turn onto Lowell as a way to get to the freeway. The sign was near this intersection. 

It wasn’t too long after the completion of the signs that the Welcome to Glendale one near Lowell Avenue was hit by a vehicle. In December 2017, a vehicle hit and damaged the sign. When Glendale police arrived on scene they found the vehicle but the driver had fled.

The second reported accident occurred when an elderly driver from Sunland merged into the center lane and struck the sign. The driver was not injured and his vehicle had minor damage.

The third and final reported accident at the Lowell Avenue Welcome to Glendale sign happened in November 2018 when a suspected DUI driver, 48, struck the sign and flipped his vehicle onto its side. There were no major injuries.

This final accident at the Lowell Avenue location was enough for the city to decide not to replace the sign.

According to Glendale City spokesman Dan Bell, at each accident the city held the drivers responsible to pay restitution for the sign repairs.

On Dec. 14, Glendale public works crews were taking what was left of the Welcome to Glendale sign off Foothill Boulevard near Lowell Avenue and repairing the cement.

The Welcome to Glendale sign near Pennsylvania Avenue has not had any reported accidents and current plans are that it will stay in place.

  Mary Okeefe