Speaker 2: And report from the Office of Vice Mayor Robert Garcia with the recommendation to designate the park at Alamitos and Seventh Street as Robert Gunpowder Park and refer this item to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Speaker 0: Mr. GREAT. Mr. Vice Mayor.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
Speaker 0: You're welcome.
Speaker 1: There. Over the last few years, we've been working hard on the creation of a new greenspace and park over at 17 Alamitos. And it's been referred to by the community as well as those who have been working on the site is Armory Park. And the Armory Park site is a has a long history here in Long Beach. And I want to start by talking a little bit about that and kind of what led us to this point that I do think this is a special night for for Long Beach and for the legacy of someone who has contributed so much to Long Beach. And there are very few people in in the history of our young city who have done more for not just arts and culture, but for the world of medicine than Robert than Dr. Robert COMBINER Bueno is risky, but ten years ago I began working with the Craftsman Historic Group as well as neighbor, different neighbors in the community to discuss the possibility of shutting down a parcel of Alamitos at seventh. And Alamitos, where we're Martin Luther King Boulevard also meets years later. They came up with a plan that then became became really a city plan, which we adopted. We went out, we got funds with the state and others and were able to get enough money from the from the state, from other transit funds to put together enough money to essentially take the parcel that is currently there at the street and close it down and create a parcel, a green space for the city. When this groundbreaking happens later this year, not only will we be eliminating the most dangerous intersection in the city of Long Beach, but we will be creating a new green space adjacent to the Museum of Latin American Art, adjacent to PM, and also creating green space in a community that has very little access to recreation and green space. In fact, it is one of the most dense neighborhoods in the city. There are still challenges there. And the fact that there isn't a lot of room in place for for young people to play has always been a challenge for for the neighborhood. So what this will do is we're really taking what was a dangerous intersection and creating a new park. The park will include a small skate park. It will include a top lot for families. It will include open greenspace. It will include opportunities for outdoor art and festivals, as well as areas for people to have a pedestrian walkway and to enjoy this kind of small green area in a really urban urban setting. Also, about a eight or nine months ago, we began a process to come up with a name for the parcel. So we had a series of meetings, including a community naming meeting and encourage the community to give their input on what to name the park. The conclusion of that discussion was we that the community and working with our office and other partners really felt that the best way to to honor the incredible legacy of the the the main benefactor to this neighborhood an area would be to name the park after Robert Combiner. And as we all know, Dr. Combiner not only facilitated the growth of one of the largest HMOs in the country and started his practice here in Long Beach, but also created and established through his job. Atrocity, the Museum of Latin American Art, as well as the the Peace Museum, which is right just adjacent to the site as well. Pacific Islander Collection. That's there. Five years ago, Dr. Gunn Binder passed away, but his dedication to Long Beach has been consistent. He has invested when you think about the investment that Dr. Gunn Byner has made to the arts in Long Beach, the way he put Latin American art into the national discussion and made Long Beach the center of that is something that's admirable. This will be the first major public space in the city and in the country named after Dr. Graham Byner. In this way, and I think it's a moment of of celebration for certainly his family, the museum and all of those that have been involved and have been touched by his generosity. And I want to end by saying that I think that Dr. Combiner is certainly best known for his philanthropic contributions. But we should never forget the thousands of people that he helped in Long Beach through his medical practice, through reaching out to low income communities, through the free clinics, through him providing oftentimes free health care to all of those residents in these in these communities. And so his contributions really stem from not just his philanthropic work, but the work he did to make a Long Beach a healthier place and his vision of of a healthier Long Beach. And so the idea of creating and naming a park, which is the important piece of having a healthy community. After Dr. Gunn Byner, I think makes a lot of sense. So. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and make the motion to record, to name the the park at Alamitos and seventh Robert Gunn Binder Park, and refer the item to both the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Housing and Neighborhoods Council Committee.
Speaker 0: Okay. Councilmember Lipski.
Speaker 7: Yes. Mr. Garcia Was there any consideration of having the Robert and Josephine campaigner Park? Because Josephine was an extremely important asset not only to his work, but set up numerous charitable organizations as a result of their partnership together. And I think the family certainly would be very honored if both the father and the mother were included in that. So is there any way we could explore that opportunity?
Speaker 1: Well, you know, the this actual naming went through a pretty extensive community process, and this is the name that they decided on. I think there certainly will be ways at the site to honor to honor her. And I and I understand what you're saying, but this is what went through the community process. So it's one of what I'm presenting to the council.
Speaker 7: Okay. Well, hopefully we'll get the community to to go to the Parks and Rec Commission, because it would be a gross oversight to keep her out of the naming of that park. She's very responsible for his success.
Speaker 0: Good motion. And the second any member of the public was just council on this item, please come forward.
Speaker 1: Larry. Good you Kirk as the address. I support 100% with the councilman accountable for the fifth District bishops, he said. I think it was an oversight. I was not involved in that process whatsoever. But I think obtuse would be the word to describe this council's actions. If you said if you did not, in fact, remand this back to the process. And had them consider that and then bring that forward. There's nothing to lose that will be there in perpetuity. You don't put it on as a Band-Aid or something or afterthought. And it really I don't know who was responsible for and how this often got, you know, pushed through. There have been a number of dubious things relative to naming people, naming things after people and so forth that haven't been well-thought out. But you have an opportunity to to do what I think most people, decent people would expect. And since the barn isn't on fire, remand it back from whence it came, from where it came, and have them revisit that, then bring it forward. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Any further any further comments? Okay. I just want to say I knew Dr. Gunn by her personally, and I have a great deal of respect for his work in this city and his legacy. And so I appreciate the the honor he made me receive. Okay, members, we have motion to second. Cast your votes on item seven.
Speaker 2: Motion carry symbols.
Speaker 0: Yes, I make look read the.
Speaker 2: Report from financial management with the recommendation to adopt a resolution approving the annual and Five-Year Reports for the Transportation Improvement. Three The Parks and Recreation Facilities Fee, Foreign Impact Fee and the police facilities impact.
Recommendation to name the park site located at Alamitos Avenue and 7th Street "Robert Gumbiner Park."