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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Councilmember Item - Councilmember Patrick Brenden - Pa 0 CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH City Council Interoffice Communication To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members From: Patrick Brenden, City Council Member/6 Date: May 30, 2017 Subject: CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ITEM FOR THE JUNE 5, 2017, CITY COUNCIL MEETING- PARK NAMING FOR THE PARCEL PARKLAND AT 17TH STREET AND ORANGE AVENUE STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Recently, a request was presented by Huntington Beach Preserve Our Past (POP) to have the Community Services Commission agendize the issue of restoring the original name of the parcel of parkland that is the former Rodgers Senior Center site located at 1706 Orange Avenue. This site is significant historically as it was one of three parcels deeded to the city of Huntington Beach between 1911 and 1917, specifically for park use. The park was the site of only a ball field and playground until 1948 when a building was moved to the site to house the Parks and Recreation Department and to serve as a recreation building. In 1975, the building was rededicated as the City's Senior Center and in 1983/84 and it was renovated and expanded to create an assembly hall. At this time, the ball field was replaced by a parking lot. It was also in 1984 that the site was named for Michael E. Rodgers. On Saturday, August 17, 2017, the Huntington Beach Preserve Our Past organization is planning to hold a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the land being deeded to the City and to a celebration of the site's history. They have requested that, if possible, appropriate research by the Historic Resource Board and the Huntington Beach Preserve our Past organization be reviewed by the Park Naming and Memorials subcommittee of the Community Services Commission, so that site can be officially and appropriately named by this date. The following timeline would accommodate this request: June 5, 2017 - City Council refers to Community Services Commission (CSC) June 14, 2017 - CSC refers to Park Naming & Memorials Committee (PNMC) July 12, 2017 - CSC considers recommendation of PNMC, forwards to City Council August 7, 2017 - City Council considers action RECOMMENDED ACTION: Refer consideration of the name of the Park at 17th and Orange to Community Services Commission Park Naming and Memorial Committee for review and return with recommendation to City Council on August 7, 2017. Xc: Fred Wilson, City Manager �c1� o//�/9Z.1 �9J � 70 Ken Domer, Assistant City Manager �G�t �G7y� Robin Estanislau, City Clerk Janeen Laudenback, Director of Community Services —/ lad-) Mr. Amory Hanson 224 10th Street Huntington Beach CA 92648 The Honorable Barbara Delgleize Mayoress of Huntington Beach 2000 Main Street Huntington Beach CA 92648 Dear Madam Mayoress: I am writing to express my strong opposition to Item 21, Councilman Patrick Brenden's item to have the Huntington Beach Community Services Commission consider renaming the Michael Rodgers Seniors' Center. I do not deny that the original name of the park is 17t" Street Park, nor that The Michael Rodgers Seniors' Center has been replaced by the Senior Center in Central Park. However, I believe that the Huntington Beach City Council should not erase Mr. Rodgers' name from history. I instead believe any park or facility at 1706 Orange Avenue should be named after Mr. Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers was one of the most prominent advocates for senior citizens in Huntington Beach. He was a founding member of the Huntington Beach Council on Aging. He was also a member of the Huntington Beach Housing and Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee. He also lobbied the Huntington Beach City Council to build the old Senior Center. In 1984, the Huntington Beach City Council passed a motion by Councilwoman Ruth Bailey to name the old Senior Center after Mr. Rodgers by a vote of 6-0-1(Councilman Robert Mandic was absent and unable to attend the meeting). From 1984-2016, The Michael Rodgers Seniors' Center served thousands of Seniors. However, In 2006, a majority of The voters of Huntington Beach approved Measure T. This ballot measure proposed the creation of a new Senior Center in Central Park. After 10 years, the Senior Center in Central Park finally opened in 2016. The Senior Center in Central Park's opening resulted in senior services being moved from the Michael Rodgers Seniors' Center to the Senior Center in Central Park. Much debate has been heard on the issue of the disposition of the Michael Rodgers Seniors' Center. Some wish to create a housing development there. Others wish to retain it as public land, either as a Park or as a Community Center. I take no position on disposition except to oppose the land becoming private land. SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION Meeting Date / 7 Agenda item No, e� � Mr. Amory Hanson 224 10th Street Huntington Beach CA 92648 What I also oppose is the removal of Mr. Rodgers' name from the land. If it is to become a Park, it should become the Michael Rodgers Park. If it is to become a community Center, it should become the Michael Rodgers Community Center. The reason for this is of the upmost simplicity. While 17th Street is simply the name of a geographic location, Mr. Rodgers is a man who devoted much effort to successfully lobbying for the old senior center. In fact, by successfully lobbying for the old senior center, Mr. Rodgers helped restore the decaying 17th Street Park. I understand the desire for a return to the way things were in 1909, but this should not be done at the expense of the memory of a man from 1984. A similar issue came before the Huntington Beach City Council in 2016. The Huntington Beach Community Services Commission recommended renaming Robert Wardlow Park after Mr. Frank Ciarelli and to name the park at the former William Lamb Elementary School after Mr. Delbert Higgins. While Messrs. Ciarelli and Higgins both made significant contributions to the City of Huntington Beach, The Council instead passed a motion by Councilman Erik Peterson to retain the name of Robert Wardlow Park, and to name the new Park at William Lamb Elementary School after Mr. Lamb and his wife, Elizabeth. I strongly urge the Huntington Beach City Council to take a similar action on Item 21, although I do understand that the municipal code requires input from the Huntington Beach Community Services Commission. Please note that I will therefore make the same arguments to the Huntington Beach Community Services Commission Should Item 21 pass. Sincerely Yours, Mr. Amory Hanson Mr. Amory Hanson 224 10th Street Huntington Beach CA 92648 CC: The Honorable Michael Posey CC: The Honorable Patrick Brenden CC: The Honorable Jill Hardy CC: The Honorable William O'Connell CC: The Honorable Erik Peterson CC: The Honorable Lyn Semeta CC: Mr. Fred Wilson CC: The Honorable Robin Estanislau Estanislau, Robin From: Amory Hanson [amory.hanson20l6@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2017 10:15 PM To: Estanislau, Robin Subject: Supplemental Communication Attachments: letter to city council re michael rodgers seniors' center.docx Dear Madam Clerk: 1 am enclosing a Supplemental Communication regarding agenda Item 21. Please insure this supplemental communication is forwarded to the Mayoress of Huntington Beach and the members of the Huntington Beach City Council. Please also insure that this supplemental communication is part of the record for the June 5th,2017 Huntington Beach City Council Meeting. Sincerely Yours, Mr. Amory Hanson 1 Esparza, Patty From: Surf City Pipeline [noreply@user.govoutreach.com] Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2017 11:52 AM To: CITY COUNCIL; Agenda Alerts Subject: Surf City Pipeline: Comment on an Agenda Item (notification) Request# 29975 from the Government Outreach System has been assigned to Agenda Alerts. Request type: Problem Request area: City Council - Agenda& Public Hearing Comments Citizen name: Kathie Schey Description: Opposition to Agenda Item 21 "Park naming for the parcel parkland at 17th Street and Orange Avenue" and to the supplemental statement supporting it written by Patrick Brenden dated May 30, 2017 From: Kathie A. Schey Expected Close Date: June 5, 2017 Click here to access the request Note: This message is for notification purposes only. Please do not reply to this email. Email replies are not monitored and will be ignored. SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION Meng Date: Agenda item No., i Esparza, Patty From: Surf City Pipeline [noreply@user.govoutreach.com] Sent: Monday, June 05, 2017 5:03 AM To: CITY COUNCIL; Agenda Alerts Subject: Surf City Pipeline: Comment on an Agenda Item (notification) Request# 29991 from the Government Outreach System has been assigned to Agenda Alerts. Request type: Problem Request area: City Council - Agenda& Public Hearing Comments Citizen name: Chris Varga Description: I would like to voice my support to the proposed renaming of the former Roger's Senior Center to the sites original name "17th Street Park". This city public land is no longer the senior center and should be renamed to its former designation. Hopefully soon it will really be a public park once again. Thanks to council member Patrick Brenden for bringing this issue to the city council. Sincerely, Chris Varga Expected Close Date: June 6, 2017 Click here to access the request Note: This message is for notification purposes only. Please do not reply to this email. Email replies are not monitored and will be ignored. SUPPLEMENTAL COMMU141CATION MeetIng Date:-- Agenda Ibam No.. Esparza, Patty From: Fikes, Cathy Sent: Monday, June 05, 2017 12:04 PM To: Agenda Comment Cc: Fikes, Cathy; CITY COUNCIL Subject: FW: City Council Meeting on 5/June/2017- Support for Council Member Agenda Item 21 Attachments: 2017-06-05 FAVArga Letter HB City Council.pdf AGENDA COMMENT From: Fran Varga [mailto:fran.varga@earthlink.net] Sent: Monday,June 05, 2017 11:53 AM To: Delgleize, Barbara <Barbara.Del leize surfcit -hb.or >; Posey, Mike <Mike.Posey@surfcity-hb.org>; Brenden, Patrick<Patrick.Brenden@surfcity-hb.org>; Hardy,Jill <Jill.Hard surfcit -hb.or >; O'Connell, Billy <Billy.00onnell@surfcity-hb.org>; Peterson, Erik<Erik.Peterson @surfcity-hb.org>; Semeta, Lyn <Lyn.Semeta@surfcity- hb.org> Cc: Fikes, Cathy<CFikes@surfcity-hb.org>; Wilson, Fred <Fred.WilsonPsurfcity-hb.org>; Domer, Ken <ken.domer surfcit -hb.or >; Estanislau, Robin <Robin.Estanislau surfcit -hb.or >; Laudenback,Janeen <JLaudenback@surfcity-hb.org> Subject: City Council Meeting on 5/June/2017-Support for Council Member Agenda Item 21 Dear Honorable Mayor and Council, I wish to express my support for, and strongly encourage the Council to approve Council Member agenda item 21, Council meeting agenda for 5/June/2017: "Park Naming for the parcel parkland at 17th Street and Orange Avenue as well as to supplemental statement by Mr. Brenden dated May 30, 2017 1 believe it is important to follow Councilman Brenden's recommended timeline of activity in support of the re-dedication of the 17th Street park at the celebration of the 100 year anniversary on August 17, 2017. My full signed letter of support of this issue is attached in PDF format. Thanks very much for your time and consideration. Best Regards, Fran Varga 508 18th Street Huntington Beach, CA 92648 Email: fran.vargat@earthlink.net SUPPLEMENTAL COMMUNICATION Meeting Date: 6 -S -17 Agenda Item No.: i Frances A. Varga 508 18th Street e,;Huntington Beach' CA�92648 : 05/June/2017 Regarding: City Council Meeting on 5/June/2017 -Support for Council Member Agenda Item 21- "Park Naming for the parcel parkland at 17th Street and Orange Avenue as well as to supplemental statement by Mr. Brenden dated May 30, 2017 Dear Mayor and City Council, I (and many other Downtown Huntington Beach neighbors) whole-heartedly support Agenda Item 21, and urge the Council to vote to approve this item. We believe that this just action is long overdue, and is an appropriate restoration of the official identity of this important historic city park. We also support Councilman Brenden's supporting statement and recommended timeline of activity which would support the August 17th re-dedication of the park at the 100th anniversary celebrating the original deed of the park to the Citizens of Huntington Beach. The timing of the Council's action is very significant, and will send a strong message to our community that restoration of this park is a priority, and any delays would not be in the best interest of our community. We in the community will continue to work for and look forward to steady progress on the restoration of the 17th Street historic city park, and will remain vigilant in working with City officials and Agencies in working towards this mutual goal. Best Regards, Frances A.Varga Email: fran.varga@earthlink.net Cc: Fred Wilson, City Manager Ken Domer, Assistant City Manager Robin Estanislau, City Clerk Janeen Laudenback, Director of Community Services Print Request Page 1 of 2 Request: 29984 Entered on: 06/04/2017 9:53 PM Customer Information Name:Jackle Phone:714-612-0028 Address:612 Hamshire Dr. Alt. Phone: Huntington Beach, Email:karen@pjackle.com CA2647 9 Request Classification Topic:City Council -Agenda & Public Request type:Problem Hearing Comments Status:Closed Priority:Normal Assigned to:Agenda Alerts Entered Via:Web Description 17th St Park Our city recognizes this by this name since it is no longer Rodgers Senior Center. It has past historical significance known by this name and Councilman Brenden's request to address this by naming it is timely as it has taken so long to identify a use for the property and the residents want it to remain as park space. Naming it now would reinforce that use is the direction the city will take after the resident feedback for several years on this property. While the Historical Resources Board, like many groups meets just once a month, that should not be a reason to allot longer time. Other nonprofits and groups in the city have responded to the computer age int 2 ways I have seen. Some create an executive board to address immediate situations that will not wait for the next meeting. Others allow online voting to address items sooner than at a general meeting by or by designating one or more officers to address it to creating a subcommittee to handle it and report back at the next meeting. The Historical Resources Board is valuable to our city but should not hold back actions as should not any board or commission if action is needed sooner. Volunteers are important to our city and must work together not just once a month. Please vote to go forward with what is on the agenda on June 5 regarding the 17th St. Park. Our city does not need to delay action and drag our administrative issues related to this property. Karen Jackle Reason Closed Thank you for taking the time to send your thoughts to the City Council. A copy of your comments has been entered into the Pipeline system and will also be forwarded to the City Clerk to be included in the record on this item. Thank you very much for writing. Sincerely, Johanna Dombo SUPPLEMENTAL. Executive Assistant COMMUNICATION Date Expect Closed: 06/16/2017 Meeting Date: Date Closed: 06/05/2017 08:25 AM By: Johanna Dombo Agenda Itam No-,, Enter Field Notes Below http://user.govoutreach.com/surfeity/printrequest.php?curid=3252794&type=0 6/5/2017 Print Request Page 2 of 2 Notes: Notes Taken By: Date: http://user.govoutreach.com/surfcity/printrequest.php?curid=3252794&type=0 6/5/2017 Estanislau, Robin From: Ty & Linda Hatfield [parentingheart@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 3:10 PM To: CITY COUNCIL; Agenda Comment Cc: Fikes, Cathy; CITY COUNCIL Subject: Rodgers' Park-Agenda Item#26 AGENDA COMMENT Please vote no on putting this out to vote again. I and my neighbors are furious that this is being manipulated again. It is unethical to steer voters to vote on this. We were promised a swap for parkland for the senior center. Years ago this was clearly written and supported by city council. Now the games are being paid. Please stop the madness and disrespect to the citizens of HB! Ty& Linda Hatfield 313 20th Street 1