Construction began this week on retrofit improvements to the two multi-tenant monument signs at the Old School House, located on Indian Hill and Foothill Boulevards, according to the city manager’s report.

The signs have been removed and will be reinstalled sometime in mid-February.

The retrofit design received approval from the architectural commission last summer, and is intended to help address community concerns and inconsistencies with the previous sign construction. Residents may remember some public outcry when the 12-foot signs were first installed last July. Within weeks of construction, passersby began complaining about intrusive back lighting and loud fonts and a gaudy color scheme, noting that the signs did not represent the quality, spirit or vitality of the center.

“While it is difficult to go back to the owner and tenants to discuss how to make changes to a sign that is already constructed, the sentiment we received from the community was ‘this has to be fixed,’” James Sink, chair of the architectural commission, said at the time.

Significant changes are being made to the ceramic tiles and individual sign panels so that they are more compatible with the adjacent Citibank monument signs, although the basic size and shape of the signs will remain the same.