Council directs staff, contractor and Wagontail Ranch to negotiate repair costs for damaged sign at Meridian and 60 Ninth

The Valley Center City Council directed city staff to meet with Pearson Construction and Wagontail Ranch to develop a proposal for repairing a damaged directional sign at the northwest corner of Meridian and 60 Ninth.

The matter was raised by Council member Anderson, who said the sign had been installed years earlier with the city’s permission to direct customers to Wagontail Ranch west of the intersection. Anderson said Pearson removed the sign during Meridian project work without first notifying Wagontail Ranch, and that removal left the vinyl face and posts damaged. “If we would have asked Wagontail to remove it, we wouldn’t have had any liability,” Anderson said. He urged the council to “step up to the plate and fix what was damaged by Pearson.”

Stacy Miles, identified in the meeting as representing Wagontail Ranch, told the council she had provided an estimate from a sign company for replacing both sides of the double-sided 4-by-8 vinyl at $1,898.75. Miles said Pearson’s crew removed the sign roughly and that parts of the sign were scratched and bent. “They weren’t gentle about it. They just threw it down,” Miles said, adding she had some spare roofing material and would prefer to reinstall and repair the sign herself if the council approved covering the costs.

Council members said they believed Pearson had some responsibility but also acknowledged a lapse in city oversight because the city did not notify Wagontail to remove the sign before work began. Council member Robert said the city needed to get the issue resolved and suggested requiring Pearson to answer questions in person. Council member Matt said people had previously opposed allowing personal signs on city property, but several council members emphasized the practical need to resolve the damage now.

Mayor Truman called for a motion to direct staff to confer with Pearson and Stacy Miles and return to the council at the next meeting with a proposal on repair costs. The motion passed on a voice vote; the council did not record individual roll-call votes during the motion.

The council did not authorize payment to any party at the meeting. The direction was limited to convening the city, Pearson and Wagontail to determine the cost split and return with a recommendation. Miles told the council she would supply photographic documentation and the sign company quote to clarify damages and costs.

Background: Council records cited at the meeting indicate the city previously had allowed Wagontail Ranch a directional sign on city property with the understanding the business would remove it if the city needed the space. Council members said they had not asked Wagontail to remove the sign when Meridian work began.

Next steps: Staff were directed to meet with Pearson and Stacy Miles and bring a cost-repair proposal back to the council at the next regular meeting.