Fishing for a way to spruce up King Harbor.

DOWNED CROWN: For decades, an arched, blue-and-white sign has served as the unofficial gateway to Redondo Beach’s King Harbor.

Soon it will be no more. Frustrated at the $17,000-per-year cost of lighting and maintaining the structure--as well as its dated appearance--merchants in the area are planning to construct a new entrance for about $100,000.

No design has been selected, but it is expected to feature some depiction of whales and dolphins, and perhaps a collection of fountains and sculptures.

One thing is certain: It won’t look like it does now. The sign, built in 1967, has “Redondo Beach King Harbor” emblazoned on its arch, but the newly remodeled pier gets smaller billing.

“We want something that is a beautiful landmark, that does a better job of promoting the area,” said Jim Hall, executive director of the Redondo Pier Assn. “It’s just time. The time is right. And I’m sick of having to deal with the damn thing.”

His frustration stems from the 180 fluorescent bulbs that light the sign. “I get a call every time one goes out,” Hall said.

FILL ‘ER UP: Torrance has become the latest stop on the anti-pollution superhighway.

The city has teamed with the Southern California Gas Co. to open a natural gas refueling station near City Hall, filling a void for the area’s alternative fuel consumers. The nearest alternatives are retail stations in San Pedro and Compton and a Gardena station reserved for Los Angeles Unified School District vehicles.

In opening the 64th such station in the Los Angeles Basin, the Gas Co. is banking on South Bay consumers getting tired of smog thick enough to hide the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Natural gas vehicles burn about 90% cleaner than their gasoline-guzzling counterparts, and the gas sells for the equivalent of 85 cents a gallon, spokeswoman Denise King said.

The station will primarily serve Torrance’s growing fleet of natural gas vehicles. By the end of the year, the city expects 10 Chrysler minivans, a pickup and a street sweeper to be running free of petroleum.

The station is also a welcome site to the private citizens who have made the low-emissions leap of faith. Mark Looper, a Hermosa Beach aerospace engineer, had to go well out of his way to fill his 1993 Dodge wagon before the Torrance oasis appeared Tuesday.

The stations were 20 to 30 miles apart when he got interested in natural gas several years ago, he said. “This will be a big help, because it’s three miles from where I live.”