Ever since 1995, residents returning home from a hard day's work in the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles or the nearby San Fernando Valley have been greeted by the "Welcome to Simi Valley" sign.

Though that unremarkable union of chain-link fence and painted wooden letters might have seemed like just another piece of civic showmanship to outsiders, to the citizens of Simi Valley it represented that comfortable feeling of first stepping inside your front door after a long day away.

"It let you know you were home," said City Manager Mike Sedell. "It represented that sense of community that Simi Valley truly has."

But just last October, that sign was all but burned to the ground by the wind-blown flames of the Topanga fire, which scorched 24,175 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Since then, it's become clear to city officials like Councilmember Michelle Foster just how much that sign, which was created and maintained by the three Simi Valley rotary clubs, meant to local citizens.

"So often we hear from residents, 'When I crest the top of the hill on the way down to Simi and see the sign, I'll take this big, deep breath and say, 'I'm home,'" Foster said. "It had a therapeutic effect. People really miss it now that it's gone."

Even before the fire damage occurred, a joint public-private venture between Rotary and the city of Simi to enhance the appearance of the sign was well underway. But now that the sign has been destroyed, efforts have been stepped up to see the project to completion.

"(The Rotary clubs and the city) wanted to upgrade it, make it nicer. Make it more reflective of the community and its stature," Sedell said. "The desire for that to happen in a short time frame was vastly escalated when the fired occurred and burned out the old sign."

The council reaffirmed its commitment to seeing the sign replaced two weeks ago when it reassigned $100,000 from the city budget's Development Agreement Fund in the middle of the fiscal year to go toward designing and constructing the new sign.

The Development Agreement Fund consists of monies given to the city from developers to offset needs associated with population increase-such as a larger police force or more lanes on a particular roadway.

Sedell said the $100,000, onetime allocation will not affect any other city services.

Of course, no one wants to see the new welcome sign completed more than local Rotarians, who designated the proposed structure as their centennial project last year when Rotary International celebrated its 100-year anniversary.

Longtime Rotarian and Simi Valley resident Jim Lowry not only helped spearhead the creation of the original sign but is also leading the way on the renovation efforts.

According to Lowry, Rotary and the city are still fine-tuning the design for the new sign. Few other hurdles remain.

"We have a contractor ready to go. The city has allocated the money to do this, and (Rotary) already has a considerable amount of money in the bank ready to go," Lowry said.

Lowry said residents can be sure the new welcome sign will be bigger, brighter and more grandiose.

"It will be something more representative of the essence of this city, which I believe is more upscale and future-looking, rather than orchards and farm land," Lowry said. "I'm actually glad to see the city come on board because now we have the feeling, 'Let's really make this impressive.'"

Sedell said the new sign will have come a long way from wooden letters and chain-link fence.

"The reason it's so expensive-it's not just the sign itself- you need to bring electricity up there. Plus, it's fairly labor-intensive in terms of location. It's not easy to get to," Sedell said.

Whatever the final plan calls for, it's clear that both residents and city officials would like to see this project completed in the near future-but no one is willing to make guarantees.

Lowry has his doubts about the project making it through the local bureaucracy quickly.

"I just don't see this getting done before 2007," Lowry said.

But whether it's done this year or next year, it's clear to all parties that the people of Simi Valley just want it done.

"It gave ownership to the Valley. It told people, 'This is where I live,'" Lowry said. "It was a proud moment to come up that grade, come over the Rocky Peak overpass, and see that sign welcoming you home to Simi Valley. It's a very family-friendly, very safe, place. It's a good place to get home to after a hard day's work."