Texaco May Help Arts Plaza Out of a Sticky Situation : Thousand Oaks: Plastic lettering is coming unglued from signs. Oil giant considers donation to replace the markers in exchange for posting logo.

No matter what Thousand Oaks city staffers do, they cannot get vowels and consonants to stick to the walls of the Civic Arts Plaza.

Every one of the black, plastic letters they put up seems to fall to the floor of the new, $64-million arts center rather than adhering to signs around the building.

The second floor men’s room has become the “M Room.” The Founder’s Circle is the “Founder’s ircle.” Finding the Upper Forum Theater might be a challenge, since the sign for it has been reduced to “Uppe Forum T.”

And occasionally the glue problem can create a down-home atmosphere, as on a sign with a sudden Southern twang that directs actors to the “Dressin Room.”

Ed Johnduff, the city staffer who oversaw construction of the building, said the problem stems from trying to glue plastic letters to metal signs. Still, he doesn’t understand how so many letters could fall off.

“You have to sort of work at it,” he said, picking away at one of the signs with his index finger. “Maybe it’s people hanging around in the lobby. They get nervous.”

But the city may have found a solution to its ongoing sign problem, courtesy of Texaco.

The company’s charitable arm, the Texaco Foundation, already donated $50,000 to the performing arts center and city hall complex in January.

Now officials with the oil company say they are considering upping their largess to $100,000 to install etched, stainless-steel signs around the building.

As the report from Theater Director Tom Mitze to the City Council points out, “The etched letters would have a longer life than the less expensive plastic letters currently in place.”

In exchange, Texaco would get the opportunity to stamp its logo on almost every wall in the building. But in true Thousand Oaks fashion, the corporate symbol must be discreet. The Texaco star would be only half an inch tall and black, Johnduff said.

“They’d get a logo,” he said. “Small, tasteful. It’s a good deal.”

Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said she will not vote against the Texaco donation but she dislikes the idea of putting names of private individuals or corporations on the building.

“I’m planning on supporting this, but with distaste,” Zeanah said.

“We are commercializing this public project, but that was a decision made long ago,” she said. “The city staff and the Alliance for the Arts have been asking people to pay for putting their names on doors all along. They have been selling opportunities for advertising.”

The City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to approve the signs conceptually. Until then, Civic Arts Plaza officials remaining tight-lipped about negotiations with Texaco.