Former resident of 24 years still maintains fond memories of life in area

Former Mission Beach resident Chris Cott, along with friend Tom Plonka, has given his neighborly “Mission Beach” sign creations a facelift. Cott restored one sign on the north side of West Mission Bay Drive near the Bahia Hotel and a second sign at the intersection of Pacific Beach Drive and Mission Boulevard near the Catamaran hotel at the Pacific Beach/Mission Beach border. “Restoring the sign is my way of saying thanks for all the good times I had in Mission Beach,” Cott said. Over the last few years, the signs have been battered by the weather conditions in the beach area. A faulty sprinkler at the West Mission Bay location also sprayed an abundance of water on the sign at night. “I was able to put a new form of ‘clear’ on the signs with UV protection,” he said. Cott said the new clear will help protect for longer periods of time against the sun, air and water. He originally designed, built and installed the signs in 2006 after he was given approval by the Mission Beach Town Council (MBTC) to post the signs. Cott also spent 24 years as a Mission Beach resident and owned the Chris Custom Airbrush business on the boardwalk during that time. He now lives in La Jolla, but fondly remembers his time in Mission Beach. His previous restoration work includes the Wyland mural at The Plunge swimming pool and the Wavehouse Gym’s exterior sign. Cott said he tried to get help from the MBTC to get funding to restore the signs but decided to take action on his own. Cott said he also hopes the restoration of the sign will inspire others to make the beach area a better place. “I’m proud of the work that I did and enjoyed every minute of it. Hopefully I’ll see others making improvements in Mission Beach,” Cott said. The men are accepting community donations to offset their costs, be it large or small. Contributions can be made to: Chris Cott, 4629 Cass St. No. 61, San Diego, 92109.  For more information, visit www.airbrushchris.com.