Recommendation to receive and file the MacArthur Park Vision Plan; Adopt resolution authorizing City Manager, or designee, to allow the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust (LANLT), on behalf of the City of Long Beach, to submit a grant application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, for the first phase of the MacArthur Park Vision Plan Implementation Project; accept said grant, if awarded, in an amount of $8,500,000 in Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program funding; execute all documents necessary to accept the funds; negotiate and execute a Turn-Key Agreement with LANLT for the development of MacArthur Park improvements; and Accept Statutory Exemption SE-19-159. (District 6)
So why don't we do that next, which is item 37, if we can get the court to read that? Report from Parks, Recreation and Marine Public Works. Recommendation to receive and file the MacArthur Park Vision Plan. Adopt a resolution to submit a grant application to the California Department of Parks, Recreation and Recreation for the first phase of the MacArthur Park Vision Plan Implementation Project. Except, said Grant, if awarded in an amount of 8,500,000 District six. Well, thank you. Let me turn this over to Vice Mayor Andrus. Yes, thank you, Mayor. I would actually. I'm sorry. Vice Mayor. Mr. Modica, do we have a staff report first? Yes, we do. The we have our parks. Our Parks Rec, a marine director here at the moment, and also bureau manager Meredith Reynolds. If one of you guys could present the presentation, this is a real exciting opportunity. Thank you. Good evening, Mayor. Member City Council. We're very excited this evening to put before you the MacArthur Park vision plan. This is a project that is been part of a community process, an inclusive and multilingual community process to identify the vision for MacArthur Park, which has not had a vision plan in the past. In your packet you have the full vision plan, but just wanted to highlight a few things as we move toward this grant application and the process that was done began in January and is sitting here with you all this evening. I included some significant site analysis, park audit, walk, audit, several community workshops in partnership with the L.A. Neighborhood Land Trust, AOC, seven and Friends of MacArthur Park and City Fabric. Many of who are here this evening and through this process, we were able to identify ideas from the community that turned into prioritized ideas that turned into and coalesced around a vision plan for MacArthur. This timing was very important. I in particular, because there is an opportunity for some grant funding, some state grant funding through Proposition 68, the State Park Fund, which is due in the beginning of August, and allows for us to ask for $8.5 million to build out the first phase of that vision plan. In particular, some of the amenities of the community identified as priorities were walking path and fitness loop around the park and some expanded programmatic areas adjacent to gamba with theater connecting the building online cultural center to gumbo theater with some new area for program programing, restrooms and a lobby, an expanded playground, a relocated court, and some reconfigured parking that adds some additional actual park space to the park. So there are a handful of really great things that are included in this plan in particular, and in your packet you have that map of the concept as well as some cost estimates, next steps. And for the community, this was something that was very important that they were able to have a lot of ownership over in terms of identifying what was important to them. So if I can have all of our partners stand up, our superheroes from MacArthur Park are here. Thank you for being here this evening. They may opt to speak with you, but with that, that concludes staff's report. Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you. Let me turn this over to Vice Mayor Andrews. Thank you, Mayor. I first before we get started, I just want to first congratulate and let everyone know who was involved in this process. You know, the SATs that you came out and really put a lot of effort and energy into this. And I think through all of that, we were able to come up with is, I think, an excellent plan. It's going to really benefit, you know, MacArthur's Park. So by that, I just want to thank Mr. Myatt and the planning team at the Parks and Recreation and Marine for their diligent work in bringing this vision plan to us. When we started this discussion last year, we hoped that we could come up with a good plan but make others part, and they have crafted one that exceeds all of our expectations. Of course, they did not do this by themselves. The community came forward and was an active part of the planning process. And I want to thank the Friends of MacArthur Park and the AOC seven for their participation. And they are here tonight dressed in blue, as I am myself, to show support to the park and its future. I would also like to thank Alex and the team at the City of Fabrics. I attended that. I attended their engagement and meetings were impressive by their professionalism and the ability to get people involved as we go forward and apply for the grant funding. I have the utmost confidence in the L.A. Neighborhood Land Trust and their abilities to make this vision a reality. And I ask my colleagues for their support on this item. Thank you guys very much for being here today. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Councilmember Pierce. Well, I want to say congratulations to getting to this point. AOC seven. I get to share some in my district and you guys are a model neighborhood association and you consistently fight for your neighborhood. You fight to get grants, you consistently fight to make sure that you get every crosswalk that you deserve. And I'm so proud that I get to have some sharing of that with you guys. While this park is not in my district, I know that everyone has worked really hard on it and we need to improve our park system as much as we can not only expanding greenspace, but making sure that there's ample space for everybody of every ability to come and enjoy that park. So congratulations on the partnership and congratulations to to District six for getting this point wholeheartedly. Support this. Thank you. Thank you. Let's do public comment. If you're here for public comment on this item, please come forward. Yeah. I'm going to go ahead and close the speakers list. One, two, three, four, five speakers. And the speakers list is closed. All right. Whenever you're ready. Oh, Silva. They made Garcia an honorable city council members. My name is read out loud. I am a resident of Not Long Beach. I am the graduate of UCI this year in public health policy. I am here in front of you tonight to voice my absolute support for the master plan of improving MacArthur Park in the Sixth District. Even though I am living in Long Beach, I got involved a lot in the sixth District, such as chair planning, neighborhood cleanup, attending many AOC, seven meetings and other city events. With all this involvement, I really pay close attention to MacArthur Park. This neighborhood park is in a center of diverse communities, not just only the Cambodian community. A lot of children are living around this park and they need to get out of their houses to play and spend their time in the park after school hours and on the weekend. However, the environment and the aspect of the park are not well equipped to fit the children needs. We love to see our children grow in a safe and healthy environment so they can have a strong and healthy physical and mental growth because it will lead to their success in their school academic achievement become healthy, happy and productive at all. I am asking for Mayor Garcia and all of the City Council support for this matter, for our community and our children of the sixth District. Thank you. She will have something to say in camera. And I also translate her in English. So I'm committed to all loop. So I crank up location and look at the architecture architectural walk right from my nose and got the emoji. Hi. I'm lonely. Arms up. I'm waiting. Am I on your room? Canoga bottom. I know much of what I know, Paul. No, no, no, no, no. Paul. How I do it, I'm told. Hi, Nick. I'm doing them all by. Yeah, I know. AOC. Then pretty many don't make your stride in your own control. I'm below yous on cap, Robert Carson and lo yo. I look so I could look you like Garcia. And look, I was captain or John Walker. Look, all I know, pop art, pop like normal people. Morgan, he's a hack. Then go out there, run like Nelson got deep and whinny me in the circle. People are me and Captain. Follow me and call me Jack or Ryan so you can monkey with him. So I'll go along with Michael Garcia. I mean, look, Johnson got bigger, so right now we translate. She said, Hello, Mayor Garcia and Honorable City Council member. My name is right from. I am the resident in the district and I've been living in Long Beach for 39 years. I've been involved in many events such as beach cleanup, neighborhood cleanup, street cleanup, strip tree planning, and attend many AOC seven events. I support Mayor Garcia and the Honorable City Councils for the Master Plan of improving MacArthur Park in District six. For our community and the children who live in this street and to improve their physical and mental health in order to achieve a higher level of education. Uh, thank you, Mayor Garcia and the council members. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next speaker. Good evening. Mayor Garcia and City Council. My name is Mary Simmons. I'm super excited to be here. This is like a dream come true for me. Although I've been advocating for MacArthur Park for a number of years now, but in the last year, working on this vision plan with Parks and Rec, Meredith City Fabric, the Land, Neighborhood Land Trust and Vice Mayor's Office, it's been amazing. So I'm here just to make it short and sweet and to say, please receive and file this vision plan for MacArthur Park. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Speaker, please. Okay. I'm sorry. I'm in a cry. You made me cry. Sorry. Good afternoon or good evening. City Council members and mayor. My name is Lucille Torres. I'm a lifelong, lifelong, lifelong Long Beach resident, a parent and educator and AOC seven board member. I'm here to advocate for the MacArthur Park Vision Plan. As a child, I was fortunate to be able to walk safely to MacArthur Park with my brothers and sisters. Summer lunch and play on the rocket ship. Yes, this was my perk for my entire life. However, today I'm here as a co-chair of Friends of MacArthur Park, representing the neighbors that surround our park. Our journey to improve our park began seven years ago, first advocating for homeland facility improvements. Later, we collaborate with Sixth District to renovate our playground. Both improvements have had a positive impact on our community. Nevertheless, we knew that MacArthur Park needed more to become a central location for our neighborhood gatherings, a place to advocate for our residents health, fitness, and a place to program. To program. To program. To offer to all all ages. All ages. Sorry about that. So we continue our journey to improve our park. Researching, grants, calling, emailing. We found the Trust for Public Land, which inspired us to seek funding and resources within our community. This is truly a grassroots effort by encouraging one neighbor at a time to share their vision for a new and improved MacArthur Park. Friends of MacArthur Park walk the surrounding areas of MacArthur Park, passing out fliers, listening to neighbors concerns, developing solutions. Collaboration is a key component of friends, a MacArthur Park collaboration with neighbors, collaboration with neighborhood nonprofits, associations in our area. My Parents Association Midtown Bid My Town Inc, UCC and AOC. Seven Parks and Playgrounds are the souls of our cities and we need to treat them as such, nourish our parks, and create inclusive, plowed playgrounds for all our children that play friends in MacArthur Park, or continue advocating for more funding and collaborating with our hidden for our hidden gem, which is MacArthur Park. Please approve our vision plan in order to ensure a positive future for MacArthur Park and create a safer community for all. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next speaker, please. Good evening again. Mayor and city councilor Ailsa Chang with the Long Beach Forward. I just want to stand in strong solidarity with all of the MacArthur Park neighbors and stakeholders. And it's personally gratifying for me as a former staff member and advocate of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust to see this vision plan come to fruition. I think it just underscores the value of community based and community driven planning and development. This this is what inclusive and this is what equitable development looks like, especially in neighborhoods that face disproportionate and negative land use impacts and fewer infrastructure investments. So again, just very excited to stand in solidarity with my colleagues today in favor of the MacArthur Park vision plan. Thank you. Thank you so much. And the last speaker comes first. Good evening, Mayor. City Council, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Citizen and I am the chair of Cambodia town ing. Tonight, my boards and I are here to support the MacArthur Park Vision Plan. It will provide new walking trails that encourage healthy outdoor exercise, which help to decrease obesity and other adverse mental health impacts in our community . It will also provide the community an opportunity to experience open space and recreation. In the past three years, Cambodia count ING had to move our annual culture festival from MacArthur Park into the parking lot of the Mark Twain Library. Because the park was so either so dusty or muddy. We support the MacArthur Park region plan to include more grass, tree, a playground and outside stage. We are looking forward to more the annual Cambodia Town Culture Festival back to the park. We also hope to bring back the Cambodia Town Parade in April 2020. Therefore, we would like to request the Mayor and member of the City Council to approve the MacArthur Park vision plan tonight. Thank you. Thank you so much. That concludes public comment. We have a motion and a second on the floor. I just want to add, I thought having looked at this plan, I think the community's had a really great job. Obviously, there's a lot of community love for the park. I think, Vice Mayor, I know you've kept me in the loop in our office and the plan itself, you can tell, is very thoughtful. And so I just want to congratulate all the stakeholders and the neighbors, the folks that were involved on that on the planning side and the and the organizing side. So now it's all about implementation and the next steps, but excellent job by the community. So congratulations. And with that members, we're going to catch our votes. I also will note that Councilman Price is on the line. And so I will we will be doing roll call and she should be joining us. So roll call, please. District two. District three. I District. Four. All right. District five. District six. Right. Seven. I. Eight. And nine motion carries. Thank you graduations to the community. Okay. We had we are now going on to we have a couple more items here. Let's we're going to do public comment. Mr. Goodhew and then Paul Workman and then Andy, I believe it's passage of I apologize if I mispronounced it.