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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20 - NB-4 - Policy Regarding Naming of City Parks - 12/17/2019 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 17, 2019 ITEM NUMBER: NB-4 SUBJECT: POLICY REGARDING NAMING OF CITY PARKS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES DATE: DECEMBER 9, 2019 FROM: CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE PRESENTATION BY: ALMA REYES, ACTING ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: ALMA REYES, ACTING ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER (714) 754-5090 RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council: 1. Adopt the attached revisions to Council Policy 800-1 and retitle it as "City Parks and Facilities Naming Policy" (Attachment 1). 2. Consider naming the Neighborhood Community Center at Lions Park after former Mayor Norma Hertzog. BACKGROUND: The City of Costa Mesa does not have a specific facility-naming policy. Naming City facilities is broadly mentioned in Council Policy 800-1 pertaining to City Parks; however, the procedure for nomination and approval is unclear. The last facility that the City renamed was the Sports Complex in 2011, when the City renamed it after Jack Hammett. That process included a review by the Parks and Recreation Commission and final approval by the City Council. At the January 2, 2018, City Council meeting, Mayor Katrina Foley, and at the request of former Mayor Mary Hornbuckle, brought forth to the City Council a proposal to name the Community Center at Lions Park after former Mayor Norma Hertzog. At this meeting, the City Council received and filed the staff report and directed staff to develop a process and a facility naming policy for the Council's future review (Attachment 2). Staff recommends revisions be made to Council Policy 800-1 as two new City facilities are scheduled to begin operations by summer 2020. The new City facilities include a Community Center at Lions Park (Phase 2 of Lions Park Projects) and a new pocket park located on the Eastside at the intersection of Santa Ana Avenue and University Drive. At the request of Mayor Foley, staff is also presenting a proposal to name the Neighborhood Community Center at Lions Park after former Mayor Hertzog. 1 ANALYSIS: REVISIONS TO COUNCIL POLICY 800-1 To address the naming of City facilities, staff prepared a draft revision to Council Policy 8001, City Park Naming Policy, to explicitly include community facility names in the title and policy, clean up outdated policy language and establish clear procedures and guidelines for implementation. The draft revisions to the policy outline a process to provide an opportunity to name or rename a City facility. The recommended process is as follows: 1. Upon receipt of a completed nomination form (Attachment 3) to name a City-owned community facility, staff would place the item on a future agenda for the Parks, Arts and Community Services Commission. 2. The nomination would be reviewed by the Parks, Arts, and Community Services Commission, which would forward a recommendation to the City Council for review. 3. The City Council would review the nomination, and the Commission's recommendation. The City Council has final approval over the nomination. To provide additional flexibility, the Mayor and City Council would also have the authority to waive the nomination process and directly propose the naming of a City park and/or facility if desired. The guidelines in the policy state that a City facility can be named for any individual who has made a significant contribution to the City as determined by the City Council. PROPOSAL TO NAME COMMUNITY CENTER AFTER FORMER MAYOR HERTZOG Upon the request of Mayor Foley, staff is bringing forward for City Council consideration a proposal to name the community center at Lions Park after former Mayor Hertzog. Ms. Hertzog has the distinction of being the first female Councilmember ever elected to the Costa Mesa City Council in 1974. She served three terms on the City Council and served as Mayor twice from 1977-78 and from 1984-86. Ms. Hertzog's notable achievements during her time on City Council include that she was a strong proponent of cultural development and was instrumental in encouraging South Coast Repertory theater to locate in Costa Mesa. A career educator, she supported the expansion of programs for children, the disadvantaged in the community, as well as seniors. She proposed the idea of an application process for the City Council to appoint commissioners, as well as consolidating local elections with the national election in November, and a sign ordinance, all of which are still in practice today. The construction of Phase II of the Lions Park Projects is currently underway and consists of the renovation of the former library building that is being repurposed into a community center. At this point in time, the community center is referred to as the Neighborhood Community Center in the project documents. Phase II of the Project commenced in the summer of 2019 and is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2020. Since Phase II is in progress, this is the appropriate time to select a name for the new community center. If the City Council wishes to name the new community center after a prominent citizen, any associated signage displaying the name could be incorporated into plans for Phase II prior to construction. 2 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED: 1. The City Council can approve the revisions to Council Policy 800-1. 2. The City Council can make additional changes to Council Policy 800-1. 3. If the City Council approves the revisions to Council Policy 800-1, the City Council can approve the selection of Norma Hertzog as a prominent citizen for whom to name the new Community Center at Lions Park, following the procedures delineated in the revised policy. 4. The City Council can select and approve of another prominent citizen for whom to name the new community center at Lions Park, following the procedures delineated in the revised policy. 5. The City Council can receive and file this report and maintain the status quo. FISCAL REVIEW: There is no fiscal impact as a result of the adoption of the revisions to this policy. The only foreseeable fiscal impact for the naming of or renaming of a City park or facility is the cost of installation of appropriate signage reflecting the new name. The cost of the signage for the Neighborhood Community Center is minimal and is included in the project costs. LEGAL REVIEW: The City Attorney's Office has reviewed this staff report and the proposed revisions to City Council Policy 800-1 and approved them as to form. CONCLUSION: Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the revised City Park and Facility Naming Policy; and requests that City Council provide direction regarding the naming of the new community center after prominent citizen, Norma Hertzog. ALMA L. REYES LORI ANN FARRELL HARRISSON Acting Assistant to the City Manager City Manager KELLY A. TELFORD, CPA KIMBERLY HALL BARLOW Director of Finance City Attorney 3 ATTACHMENTS: 1. Amended Council Policy 800-1 2. Action Report — City Council Regular Meeting for January 2, 2018 3. Draft Nomination Form 4