VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Can you read this sign?
It's located on Independence Boulevard right outside of Joint Base Expeditionary Little Creek-Fort Story, and for some Virginia Beach neighbors, it is the cause of a lot of headaches.
"I realize it's just a street sign, but come on, it really shouldn't be this bad," said Diana Pengitore.
Pengitore has lived in Virginia Beach for the past 25 years and originally thought nothing of the sign when it was installed. She said that changed as she watched it deteriorate bit by bit over the years until she had to put in a work order.
That started three years ago, as Pengitore said no one has done anything about it, and she said she realized no one knew who had the rights to change the sign.
"I would call and continuously get these crazy answers," Pengitore said. "The military base said it's the city's problem because it's on city land, but then I talked to the city, and suddenly it's a military base sign that the base needs to fix."
Ultimately, nothing got done. Pengitore said she considered adding a cardboard sign underneath the sign to make it readable, but ditched the idea once she thought about the legal ramifications.
Under Virginia law, anyone caught tampering with a public street sign can face a Class 1 misdemeanor and pay a hefty fine, or even jail time.
It's why she reached out to 13News Now for some answers.
"I don't even care what happens to it at this point, but either take it down completely or fix it," Pengitore said. "It doesn't matter who does it."
A spokeswoman with the City of Virginia Beach said officials are aware of the problem and are working with the military to get a replacement sign.
The sign was installed in the city's right of way by the US Navy, and they are collaborating on a new sign. It should be installed in the next few weeks.
Pengitore said while she realized this is not a huge priority, she is glad to finally have an answer.
"It's such a beautiful area, we need to do more to take care of it, and make it easier for citizens to report such problems," Pengitore said.
If any Virginia Beach resident has an issue with maintenance, potholes, or other such issues, they can file a work order on the City's website with Public Works.
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