The iconic blue wave on the “Welcome to Pacific Beach” sign that was mowed down by a motorist in the 2700 block of Grand Avenue in June has been restored and returned to its home just north of the Mission Bay Golf Course. The sign, restored through time and effort donated by Joe Wilding, president of the Pacific Beach Town Council and others — and a little financial help from the office of District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer — was reinstalled at the site on Sept. 1. “I give a lot of credit to Joe as president of the Pacific Beach Town Council,” Faulconer said. “He needed to be here too, because he saw it happen and took ownership of it. “We wanted to do whatever we could to help bring the sign back but were not sure what its condition was,” continued Faulconer. “We have two great guys [Joe and John Wilding] who volunteered their time and effort because they love our community to put the sign back. The sign is one of those things that help define our community’s character and makes Pacific Beach a special place.” The sign was originally knocked off its cement foundation on the center island of Grand Avenue on June 15 by a Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling eastbound. After the sign was struck, it fell into the westbound lanes of Grand Avenue. Wilding happened to be driving eastbound about 50 yards behind the Jeep Grand Cherokee when the sign was struck. Wilding, along with a few residents in the apartments across from the golf course, dragged the sign out of the street and loaded it onto a truck. The sign was taken to the home of one of Wilding’s friends and then later to the residence of his brother, John, until the Wildings could figure out a way to get the sign back up. During the Sept. 1 reinstallation, Faulconer joined Joe and John Wilding (president of J.C. Wilding and Company) and Gene Nielsen, the company’s superintendent, as the sign was replaced on its original base. “It meant a lot that Kevin (Faulconer) showed up for this,” said Joe Wilding.” The sign is part of Pacific Beach and it’s one less thing for the city to worry about.” Other neighbors said they, too, were pleased with the return of the sign. Harriet Bonet, a longtime Pacific Beach resident who lives close by, remembers the morning the sign was hit. In fact, Bonet’s boyfriend was one of the men to assisted Wilding the morning the sign was mowed down. “They were able to fix it. The guy who fixed it is very generous. I’ve lived here for about 26 years and I’ve seen every kind of driving imaginable here.”