Crash Destroys Welcome Sign

The Miller Ave entrance to the city limits of Mill Valley got an unexpected redesign over the weekend.

City officials are dealing with the aftermath of a car crash that wiped out the "Welcome to Mill Valley" sign and a decades-old wooden structure with a roof that displayed signs of a number of local organizations.

The accident occurred at 4:30am Saturday, when a man driving a silver Honda lost control of his brakes as he drove down the steep slope of Gomez Way as he headed towards Miller Ave and Camino Alto, across from Tam High.

Unable to stop, the man drove the car into the island at the intersection, striking some trees and both the sign and the structure before getting caught in power lines and power boxes, which were not damaged.

"It basically got destroyed," Parks Superintendent Rick Misuraca said of the structure, which include large color signs of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts of America's Marin Council, American Legion, Mill Valley 4H Clubs, Rotary International and the Mill Valley Historical Society. It also included a sign for the Marin Zeppelin Society.

Police responded to the scene and determined that the driver was not intoxicated. Firefighters and Pacific Gas & Electric personnel were called to scene to retrieve the can without causing a power outage.

Misuraca said he can salvage about 60 percent of the structure, including the beams and rafters, but it will need new wooden shingles and posts. He intends to use some of the local, sustainable redwood that he salvages as new posts for the structure and have a local contractor rebuild the roof.  The structure and signs are being stored in the city's corporation yard.