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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-06-07 City Council (10)TO: FROM: City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY SERVICES DATE:JUNE 7, 2004 CMR: 309:04 SUBJECT:PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AND PALO ALTO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO NAME THE SOUTH OF FOREST AVENUE PARK AS PALO ALTO HERITAGE PARK RECOMMENDATION The Parks and Recreation Comlnission and the Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA) and staff recommend that the City Council name the park land which is currently referred to as the South of Forest Avenue Park, the Palo Alto Heritage Park. If the City Council approves the Commission recommendation, staff w, ill return at a later date with an ordinance for approval via the consent calendar dedicating the park land at the corner of Homer Avenue and Waverley Street as the Palo Alto Heritage Park. BACKGROUND When the Palo Alto Medical Foundation relocated its medical clinic and satellite facilities to E1 Camino Real from the South of Forest Avenue (SOFA) neighborhood in 1999, the company which purchased the property for development, Summerhill Homes, agreed to cede 2.41 acres of land to the City of Palo Alto as public park land. In December 2003, Council dedicated the land bounded by Homer Avenue, Waverley Street, the City-owned Roth Building on Bryant Street, and behind new homes along Channing Avenue, as park. The park has been planned with an interim design that provides recreational turf and some minimal amenities. At its April 12, 2004 meeting, Council adopted a revised park naming policy that included detailed criteria for the naming and re-naming of parks (and recreational facilities) and established a role for the Parks and Recreation Commission, or other appropriate commissions, in the public review of park and facilit3~ names. As with the original City policy, the process of evaluating suggested names begins with a review by PAHA to consider the historical appropriateness of names. CMR:309:04 Page 1 of 3 COMMISSION REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS At its May 5, 2004 regular meeting, the/3oard of Directors of the Palo Alto Historical Association received a report from the Association’s Landmarks and Street Names Connnittee. The Colnlnittee reviewed 66 different name suggestions from the public (Attachment/3). The Committee recommended five names to the Board of Directors: Joseph Davis Park; Russel Van A. Lee Park; Anna Zschokke Park; Birge Clark Park; and Palo Alto Heritage Park. Because there was not a consensus of the committee on preferred names, the list was not ranked by preference. The Board approved a motion that the name Palo Alto Heritage Park be recommended to the City Council, and that the names Dr. Joseph Davis Park, Anna Zschokke Park and Dr. Russel Van A. Lee Park be provided for consideration as historically appropriate names. (Attachment C). In reviewing the list of suggested names from the PAHA Landmarks and Street Names Committee, the Board discussed the many historical merits of Dr. Lee, Dr. Davis and Anna Zschol&e, but did not reach a consensus on whose contributions had been most significant to the Cit~, of Palo Alto. After some discussion, the Board decided to remove the name of Birge Clark from the list because of the confusion having ~7o City parks named ~Clark Park’ would cause to Police and Fire personnel responding to emergency calls. Some members of the Board felt the name Palo Alto Heritage Park would be inclusive of all of the people nominated for their contributions to the community, including the Ohlone indigenous people. At its May 25, 2004 regular meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission (Commission) conducted a public hearing on the naming of the park. The Commission reviewed four names forwarded by PAHA and the historical rational that was used to support these recommendations. The Commission determined that none of the names were incompatible with the intended use of the park, and voted unanimously to recommend naming the name Palo Alto Heritage Park to Council. In review of the recommendations of PAHA, the Parks and Recreation Commission concurred that Pato Alto Heritage Park was inclusive in recognition of the contributions of the pioneers of Palo Alto, including the specific individuals suggested by PAHA. Although the Commission did not find any of the suggested names incompatible with the intended use of the park, the Commission felt that suggested individuals might be recognized by plaques on park benches or walkways within the park. CMR:309:04 Page 2 of 3 RESOURCE IMPACT The cost of erecting a sign with the name of the park has been included in the anticipated development costs of the park. There are no other resource impacts associated with this recommendation. POLICY IMPLICATIONS These recolnlnendations are consistent with existing City policy and furthers Policy and Procedure 1-15. ALTERNATIVES In the alternative, the City Council may refer this matter to Colnmittee for recommendation or reject the proposed name. the Policy and Services ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Attachment B: Attachment C: PREPARED BY: List of Nominated Names and number of votes Report from the PAHA Board of Directors Draft Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes, May 25, 2004 DEPARTMENT APPROVAL: Superintendent, O~pen Space & Science \ JAVES Director.’ "¯,ervlces CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: City Manager CMR:309:04 Page 3 of 3 PARK NAMING Name of park 2 Acre Wood Park 2.0 Acre with Park 9/11 Park Allan Brown Park Amy Malzbender Park Anna Zschokke Park Birge Clark Park Bubenik Park Cecil Chang Park Channing Park Clinic Park David Packard Park !!~!~ Don Bunce Park:.:.~: : Downtown Green Dr. Kalpan Chawla Park Esther & Birge Clark Park Forest Park Votes !Reason/history FunsVille George Hood Park Gearge W..Bush Park H~ Gia~retto Park Herb Dengler Park -Heritage Park i Hewlett-Packard Park Homer Park iHomerley Park Homer/Waverley Park Irv Rollins Park tCalculated by S. Staiger & C. Caddes, fr City desk & S. Staiger; Feb. 10, 2004 i A (best), B, C Your name: Alphabetized 4/15/04 1 1 11 Fred Hoar Park 1 ! li i Ithaca Park ¯ :~James Masik Park ::~:~ iJamplis/Lee/Davis Park or "The Docs" : Joe Davis Park 1 1 Katy Obringer Park Lee DeForest Park Lee Family Park iLee/Davis Park or Davis/Lee Park 1 i Leonard Ely Park 2 i - Marcus Krupp Park 1 Marx/W ng Park 5 ...... ..Maude Park 2 :Mayfietd Park 1 i "Memorial Park 1 Multi-Cultural Park 1 Park Naming (CC’s Macintosh G3, Lotus 1.2.3. for Mac) rau, Apt 15, 200,4.5:01 PM Your name: My Place Odyssey Park Packard Plaza PAMF Memorial Green PAMF Park PAMF Waverley Green Pioneer Park Preservation Park 2~ _.Ros____e Bird Park 1 ;I Roth Park i 1 ! Russel Van A. Lee Park i 18 Silicon Valley Park Simpson Park Sister Cities Park SOFA Park St. Thomas Square Tall Tree Park Tree City Park University Park Virginia Lee Park Ward Winslow Park Waverley Park Willi Columbus Difani Park 1 1 Park Naming (CC’s Macintosh G3. Lotus 1¯2.3. for Mac) ATT.] SHMENT B Palo Alto Historical Association P.O. Box 193 ~ Palo Alto, California 94302 (650) 326-3355 TO: GREG BETTS, CITY OF PALO ALTO 1/t?.. I~t?,.(’OM.,~M~..,~,rD.ATItqN~ I?lql~ N A MIN/-2 TlZII~ PAUl,/ May 12, 2004 Dear Greg, This will confirm action taken at the board meeting of the Palo Alto Historical Association on May 5 in selecting possible names for the new SOFA park. As you appreciate, the public response to the request for names was gratifying with over 100 names submitted before the deadline. However, it presented an immediate challenge to our Landmarks and Street Nantes Committee to select from ttfis list several names which could then begin to move through the selection process. Many of the names suggested were justified on the basis of historical merit or on the contributions individuals have made to the community. ’After weighing alternatives, PAHA’s board a~eed to recommend four names and expressed a preference for the first name listed. Palo Alto Heritage Park: Anna Zscho "kke Park: Dr. Russel V. A. Lee Park: Dr. Joe Davis Park: Attached is the list of names received and short commentaries on the appropriateness of each name that is recommended. Please let me "know if you require additional hfformation. Sincerely, Tom Wyman, President Attachments cc: Steve Staiger Palo Alto Heritage Park The name "Palo Alto Heritage Park" does not conform to the criteria set forth in the park naming policy. It is, however, a vehicle to allow that policy to be implemented more broadly than is presently possible given the rarity of park or facility naming opportunities. This comparatively generic name is recommended because it would permit residents themselves to recognize individuals who were of historica! significance in our community or who had made important contributions or perfornaed particularly valuable services. Some simple vetting or selection system would need to be devised for the approval of names proposed. However, this could amount to a simple sign-off on proposed names by, say-, the Palo Alto Historical Association and Parks and Recreation Commission in cooperation with City staff. Individual reco~_ition plaques, bricks or tiles could be i_n~ta!!ed in walls or wa!kw, ays. The art community could be asked to assist in the design of suitably attractive display areas. Alternative means of recognizing individuals might include plantings or the installation of benches, chairs or other park amenities. With the establishment of the Palo Alto History Museum in the nearby Roth Building, it would be a natural location to retain publically available records providing details on the contributions of those honored in Heritage Park as well as those who have been honored elsewhere in the community by having parks or facilities nmned after them. Anna Zschokke Park The Palo Alto Times in her 1929 obituary described Anna Zschokke as the "mother ofPalo Alto’s public school system’ for her significant contributions to the establishment and early development ofPalo Alto’s schools. The widow Mrs. Zschokke and her three children were one of six families that settled in University Park (the first name for Palo Alto) in 1890 a year before Stanford University opened it doors. Her first home was on Homer Avenue. In 1893 she determined that there were enough students and sufficient distance from the nearest elementary school in Mayfield to petition the County for a new school in the young town of Palo Alto. Several years later she was a member of the first high school board of trustees and a leader inestablishing the new high school. She built a structure on her Forest Avenue property that housed the high school students until the district could fund a proper high school. Anna Zschokke was an organizer and charter member of the Woman’s Club of Palo Alto at a time when women’s clubs were vital in providing women with a voice in the community before they were granted to right to vote. She continued to be an active member mntil her death at the age of S0. In 1896 she wrote the first history of Palo Alto, published in the Palo Alto Live Oak, as "Pioneer History. of Town of Palo Alto", coveting the town’s history up to incorporation. At which time she concluded new residents were no longer the pioneers. Doctor Russel V. Lee Park As one of the founders of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, Dr. Russel Van Arsdale Lee was a health care pioneer whose ideas and vision were decades ahead of mainstream medicine. Doctor Lee came to Palo Alto in 1924 to join with Dr. Tom Williams in a medical practice. In the early 1930’s Lee and other physicians established the Palo Alto Clinic. At a time when group medical practices were uncommon and disliked by many physicians, Dr. Lee was a strong proponent of this and other medical practices considered radical by the medical establishment and he battled with them. He fought the American Medical Association over national health insurance and pioneered prepaid health care while c~g for staff at Stanford University. His interest in medical care for the elderly led to the establishment of Channing House which he considered one of his freest achievements. He died in 1982. There was some interest among the public nominations for a Lee Family Park. Dr. Lee’s five children all became physicians, including two sons with longtime affiliations with the Palo Alto Medical Clinic. His wife, Dorothy, who died in 1972, was a strong supporter of conservation. The couple donated/sold more than 1200 acres to the City for Foothills Park. Doctor Joseph (Joe) Davis Park Dr. Joe Davis was a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic for more than forty years. Upon his retirement from the Clinic he volunteered for several years at the Drew Clinic in East Palo Alto and later at a clinic in Redwood City. Later he volunteered as a health care advisor. For many years he was active with the Boy Scouts in their Medical Explorer program. He was awarded a "Tall Tree" award shortly before his recent death. tn the public’s nominating process, Dr. Joe Davis was one of the two most often nominated names, but the support for his nomination was by far the most passionate, perhaps because he touched some many Palo Alto families over the years with l~fis medical care and’ "’~"- - ’ .....ms personm care. I n~ ~tt~rb mention "superb medical care’; a life "devoted to service of children"; and that he "made frequent housecalls". One parent wrote that he "truly exemplified. qualities a physician, or anyone for that matter, should have". ATTACHMENT C DRAFT MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MAY 25, 2004 Palo Alto City Hall Council Conference Room 250 Hamilton Avenue Commissioners Present:Ellie Gioumousis, Jennifer Hagan, Edie Keating, Paul Losch, and Judith Steiner Commissioners Absent: Others Present: Ann Cribbs and Jeanette Marquess Staff Present:Dan Williams, Greg Betts, Paul Dias, Deborah Bartens, Vir~nia Gibbons CALL TO ORDER:Meeting called to order by Chairperson Edie Keating at 7:00 pm ROLL CALL:Conducted by Virginia Gibbons. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, and DELETIONS:None ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None BUSINESS: Approval of Draft Minutes of April 27, 2004 Meeting. Unable to approve the minutes as there was not a quorum of Commissioners who attended the April 27th meeting. This item will be placed on the June agenda. Naming of SOFA Park and Renaming of Arastradero Preserve. Greg Betts provided a briefbackgound on the park naming policy and the role that City Council established for the Parks and Recreation Commission. The PARC is requested to review the names suggested by the Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA), determine if any of the names are incompatible with the intended use of the park, and to make a motion to forward the Commission’s recommended name to the City Council for final consideration. ATTACHMENT C DRAFT The Commission reviewed the PAHA’s list of preferred names and after a short question and answer session made the following decision. MOTION: Commissioner Losch made a motion to accept the name Palo Alto Heritage Park. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Steiner.FOR:5 (Gioumousis, Hagan, Keating Losch and Steinel9. AGAINST: 0 Oral Communications Betsy Allyn, Willmar Dr., Palo Alto: Ms. Allyn.spoke in support of renaming the Arastradero Preserve to include the name Enid Pearson. Ms. Allyn gave the Commission a detailed account of Ms. Pearson’s community involvement background, support of conservation and her major contributions to the City, including the City’s park dedication ordinance. 2.Tom Jordan, 474 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto: Mr. Jordan also spoke in support of including Enid Pearson’s name in the name of the Arastradero Preserve, detailing Ms. Pearson’s dedication to park preservation, her importance to the community,, and that her contributions need be recognized. Greg Betts provided a brief background and asked the Commission to review the name recommended by PAHA and the historical rational that was used to support the recomlnendations, determine if there is a compelling reason to renanae the preserve, and if so, determine whether the name is deemed compatible with the intended use of the preserve. After a short discussion and wording clarification, the Commission reviewed the PAHA recommendations and made the following motions. MOTION A: Commissioner Hagan made the motion that the Commission accept the name Enid Pearson - Arastradero Preserve recommended by the PAHA. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Gioumousis. FOR: 5 (Gioumousis, Hagan, Keating, Losch and Steiner). AGAINST: 0 MOTION B: Commissioner Hagan made the motion that the Commission agree that there is a compelling reason to rename the Preserve because of Enid Pearson’s monumental impact on green space heretofore not recognized, her contributions to Arastradero Preserve, and for being hTstrumental in the Park Charter initiative. The Motion was seconded by Judith Steiner. FOR: 5 (Gioumousis, Hagan, Keating, Losch and Steiner), AGAINST: 0 MOTION C: Commissioner Hagan made the motion that the Commission find that the name is compatible with the intended use of the Arastradero Preserve. The ATTACHMENT C DRAFT motion was seconded by Commissioner Losch. FOR: 5 (Gioumousis, Hagan, Keating, Losch and Steiner). AGAINST: 0 Discuss Possible Projects to be Funded by Park Impact Fees. Paul Dias provided the Commission with a brief background regarding the use of park impact fees and the basic criteria for which they are to be used. The fees are intended to maintain existing service levels, add to facilities to accommodate community growth, but cannot be used to cure existing deficiencies. The following outlines steps and ideas for the use of fees. I Where do the fees come from and how can fees be used? II What is the process? III Value ofprioritization. IV Potential use of impact fees: a.Park restrooms b.Community garden c.Greet Park unfinished lot d.Artificial turf- parks/school sites e.Mitchell dog park expansion f.Skate park o Tennis court li~htin~ There needs to be further clarification anade by the Attorney’s Office regarding the exact use of the fees and Paul Dias will follow-up on this issue as there needs to be a sound basis for selective criteria for using the money. Paul stated that it is important to reach all interest groups and encouraged staff to advise on the process. This subject will be added to the June agenda, after clarification is received from the City Attorney. Discussion of Opportunities for Community Outreach / Community Support of Parks. Paul Losch presented the following outline, which was created by the sub-committee meeting assigned to review this issue. A. Objectives Get various interest groups involved in the welfare of Palo Alto’s parks and open spaces. Groups can include neighborhood associations, service organizations, athletic leagues, among others. 2.Provide individual commissioners the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge of particular user groups and for them to serve as the "ao to" persons for such groups on matters that are part of the commission’s scope. Enable the Parks and Recreation Commission, outside its formal meetings, to get input, feedback and suggestions from the public about how the City’s recreational