Recommendation to request City Manager to work with the Public Works Department and Parks, Recreation and Marine Department, and in conjunction with Community Partners, to identify funding and begin pre-planning efforts to develop a park vision plan for Martin Luther King Jr. Park and report back within 90 days.
All right. We're now going to go to item 31, Martin Luther King part. Communication from Councilwoman Sarah Vice Mayor Richardson Recommendation to request City Manager to work with the Public Works Department and Parks, Recreation and Marine Department and in conjunction with the community partners to begin pre-planning efforts to develop a park vision plan for Martin Luther King Jr Park and report back within 90 days. Thank you, Councilman Ciro. Thank you, Vice Mayor. And so I want to thank you for signing on to this item. I'm just so excited to be able to present this item, to identify funding and to begin the pre-planning. This has been identified as a need in a district dialog I've had in the past year, and I see that this is possible because it happened in Highland Park where we had the Doris Topsy Alva Community Center. We have the just recently named Ron Areas Health Equity Center. We also have a central health facility and I believe that's a model and what we could do and I think creating this vision plan is much needed because we haven't seen improvement in this park at this historical and cultural park in a long time. So in the past year, unfortunately, due to the vandalism, the statue, MLK statue was restored and little upgrades have been made. But more needs to be done. And it needs to be done with the community. It has to be a community driven vision, and that is part of the planning that is going to happen after we get a report back from the departments and how much it'll cost and what it will take. But I also want to thank the multi-racial coalition that have submitted a letter of support for this vision plan. Latinos in Action. My Girls in Action. Elite. Skills Development. City Fabric. Forgotten Images. I'm going to name all of them because I don't want to, you know, leave anyone out in their support. You see United Cambodian community as well as I think we have a few individual pastor. Well, Willie, Larry McIntyre from Grace Memorial Baptist Church. So I want to just thank all of you, all the residents, for voicing this need and this long overdue investment in central Long Beach. Thank you. Thank you. I'll speak up as a seconder. I think you have to start with a vision and that in the money follows. When we started at Highland Park, the idea was our community center was failing. You know, we had every winter when it rained, we had to close down the social hall and but we brought the community together and we started with the vision for the center. And then that developed into a vision for the park. And then that developed into a vision for the whole uptown area, the uptown open space plan and those visions. They won awards and they led to money. Today, if you go there, you know, a 95 year old community center has been redone and facilities been added and it's beautiful. The doors topsy over community center. That was an $11 million investment and the vision plan that happened just a few years prior. And then just yesterday, we open the Rainforest Health Equity Center. It was a facility center that we invested $5 million into. But what's really important is what we put inside the programs and services inside. So things like the fatherhood initiative, things like, you know, My Brother's Keeper, My Sister's Keeper and our office youth development clinic. The things that, you know, particularly it was important to have in part because there's, you know, five city halls closed north lobbies that are all in city hall. So it made it more accessible for people to go to the area they know to get the city services. So I personally think I support where you want to go, but I think it's important. You know, King Park is like, you know, it's an important, iconic part to the city and it needs to be invested in and treated as such. And so I'm happy to support this vision and I look forward to what comes next in terms of the actual millions of dollars it's going to take to make the park into what it what it can be. Next, we have a councilwoman. So you want to go to the comment. Okay. We'll go to public comment. Madam Clerk. Well, the first five speakers please lineup. Tim Gilmore. Russell Waters. Ginger Moore. Franklin Sims. Marc Anthony Hall. So there's talk. Hello. My name is Tim Gilmore. I am a member of the Midtown Neighborhood Association, president of the Long Beach Poly Alumni Association, Inc.. 5013329. I'm talking to you about the support for Mr. Leonard Adams program, which is the basketball court construction, which will benefit our kids and help it. In my case, Park is a part of Sully Soros Item 31 Work Vision Plan. I've known Mr. Adams basically for about six years. We've gone out and he's done his his backpack school program, and I've had a lot of respect for that. And in those three years we discussed possibly doing something for basketball courts. But since we had COVID and my health condition, we kind of had to put that on on hold for that. But I'm starting to get back to things. And in March of second, we met at a Denny's restaurant, and we really rekindle the idea of doing it. I've been doing some research here and finding out basically what the cost and basically comes out to about 250. Okay, to about 400. I did Masco, I called the basketball vendors and such. So I've been doing some research on it as well as talking to the city planner, which is Nancy Conlin Arrows and Joy Contreras, the public works group hopefully going to have a meeting this week. It's such an I really would really love to see if we can get this doable. I do think is this. Mr. Gallo, your time has expired. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker is Russell Waters. Hi. Nice to be here. To all the council members, we appreciate you, Dr. Sorrell. We love you so much. Thank you so much for this right here. My family has been in the city of Long Beach since before Long Beach was Long Beach. We did not come to Long Beach. Long Beach came to us and we have never my family has been serving that community on that street for over 115 years. Chris and Baptiste started in my great, great, great grandfather's living room in 1907. We fought to get over. There was a court battle just to get there. We have never in the 115 year period that we've been there serving had the kind of support that we have received from you in the last year of your since you were elected. I'm going to calm down, but I get emotional every time I talk about this. What you've done is incredible. I'll be back to say more about what I have to say about. But we're just proud of you. You're the crown jewel of our community, and we are proud of you. I'm to you next. I'm going to come back. My time is up. Oh, have I got a mouthful for you? Mary's in De Vos. Thank you very much. We're in full support. And that's next. You're more. Hello, council members. I will not be as. Passionate as the last gentleman, but. My name is Ginger Moore and I work with Elite Skills, a nonprofit, and we currently occupy an office space at Kings Park. Parks and Rec are near and dear to me because my father for over 20 years worked for Parks and Rec. And so now, as an adult, to be back at one of the parks that I frequented as a child, it's it's a big deal to me. And Kings Park has so much potential. And I'm here in favor of item number 31 and the beautification process. Or the planning. Stages of this. I drive up every day and I'm so proud to be there. And I. Know what it could be, he said. You were the crown jewel growing up. Kings Park was our crown jewel. So we're excited to be here today and look forward to what's to come. And we are fully support we fully support you in this. And we would look we look forward to being part of the planning process. So thank you. And again, you have our support. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Oh, my name is Mark Hall. I was born and raised in Long Beach, California is right across the street from the park. Our crown jewel was Herb. He built the park when it was Real Street Shack. African-American men underserved over there. All we see is soccer year alone, so we must connect with the true Negroes. My family been all industry for 85 years. You helped build up stained a church about a dare. We we've been underserved. So I represent reset we grassroots movement. We like to be a part of rebuilding or not rebuilding fixing. We must dialog to make it right. Dang. They write right now. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next speaker, please. Franklin Sims. The next five speakers after Mr. Simms is Leonard Adams, Nina Younger, Bridget Jones, Sharon Diggs Jackson. And since I can say. This agenda item is about a vision plan for King Park. You can't have a vision. Without telling the. Truth. Councilwoman Sauro said that the Dr. King statue had been restored after being vandalized. That is not true. And I'm concerned that when you go throughout the vision, if you didn't start with the truth, then what are we going to end up with? This is a bust of Muhammad Ali. It was sculpted by the same man that sculpted that statue of Dr. King that sits at MLK Park. That sculptor came to Long Beach after it was restored. And that artist stood right in that park. He looked at it and I said, Mr. Stokes, has the statute been restored? He said. I want to weep, Franklin. It has not been. He was called by the city after it was vandalized with Nazi symbols. He told the city what to do. They did not. If you have a vision, you have to tell the truth. The Martin Luther King Park must be restored and that statute must be restored. And there are people behind me who won't take no for an answer. Thank you, Alex. Police. Good afternoon. City Council. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. I am a long time resident of the sixth District. I am also a former city and city employee with 40 years of services. And as I retired, I never quit working for my neighborhood or my city. You got a gentleman was talking about mean giving backpacks, giveaways out for the school kids in my neighborhood. But also during my time when I spent with the city, I spent ten years at Martin Luther King's Park and I thought that park would have absolutely nothing for years and years with no development. There was also a problem with having outdoor outdoor equipment. There was no outdoor equipment other than a swing and a playground. So if we look at all the rest of the parks around the neighborhood, Martin Luther King Park is not equal to them. You can go almost to any park and it's a major civil rights park is named after Dr. Martin Luther King's Park. We are trying to figure out why does this park doesn't have a basketball court. It's the only major park. I guarantee you. I guarantee you get in your car and drive around anywhere and you're going to see a basketball court on any major park except for Martin Luther King tomorrow. As a problem with that. As city council members, I believe that all of you guys. Should be. Proactive in your job, because when you stood up there, you said. Mr. Adams, your time has expired. Basketball. Thank you. Basketball court. Hear you loud and clear. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Nina Younger. Bridget Jones, Sharon Diggs, Jackson Anderson, I can say. Good evening, counsel. My name is Nina Younger. I live at 924 East Damian Street, right in the center about three blocks from Kings Park. I've been in the area for over 50 years. Definitely we need. To. Bring up our park. Just like the gentleman before me said. There's no basketball court, there's no sports in our park. We used to have sports. We used to have baseball games. There's nothing more than that. I would like to see in our vision a black history museum right there at that park. You are a black artist, pop up so that we have lots of talented people in our district. It'd be nice to show our artwork, what we do, our community. There's going to be a new 68 unit housing being built right. Behind my house. Well, in front of my house behind it. Now my ocean breeze is gone and I feel bad for the aging on that corner. They have nothing to go to or anything to do. I'm just pleading with the Council to end this vision, make sure that you get the community input. We know what we need in our area and we would like for you to help us. If we're going to support you, we'd like for you to support us. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, City Council. My name is Bridget Jones. I am advocate for community organizations across Long Beach. I really feel that in the essence of a vision plan, it is imperative that you incorporate stakeholders. In this particular case, the immediate stakeholders are the residents that surround the park. There really does need to be a Phil proof system that allows their vision to be heard. I understand that emails go out and there are different things in place, but you do have to consider that not everyone is privy to email. Not everyone has the capability to utilize or access whatever tools that you are using. So please, in your planning and your vision planning, please make sure that you are using tools that the community can access and that they really are a part of the vision because the vision is not clear if they are not included. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much. Next speaker. Please. Good evening. Vice Mayor and City Council. My name is Sharon Diggs Jackson. I am currently the program director for the. Black Resource Center, which is located at 1133 Rear Street. And I just want to offer some words of support for the motion. Thank you, Councilmember Ciro, for moving it forward. But I want to make sure we also include the Central Facility Center. We just moved into the Center. For the Black Resource Center. And my staffer and I spent the last month cleaning up the space, painting, organizing it because the facility had sat vacant for more than almost three years. So we want. To make sure that it's part of the visioning plan, that it also includes the Central Facility Center. There are nonprofits. There are resources that want to operate out there, who want to be able to serve the community. And we want a world class facility. In which to do it. When that center was originally opened. Having grown up here in. Long Beach, I remember the. Day that it opened and when Clarence Smith was so excited about it. So we want to bring it back to where it was again. Martin Luther King Park is near and. Dear to our community. We want to be part of the visioning process there. If you can't find. Somebody, give us a call. We'll make sure that we can put. As many people on whatever commission our committee that. You are trying to plan to move forward with this. Project. I also want to just give a minute and say thank you to the council. It's only befitting that item number two tonight actually addressed an issue dealing with Constance Oden in the Oden family. Those of us who grew up here and know Connie. We know that she. Gave her heart. And soul to. King. Park. Thank you so much. Next, people, please. Is the snake less than I can say? Sixth District resident. Thank you to our sixth district office of Dr. Sara for bringing this item up to council. It's imperative that this park is rekindled as it currently stands. It's essentially a green mausoleum. It's a dead space. There's no programing with respect to this park that truly benefits our community. And as you can see from the rest of my neighbors, I live just a few blocks away from the park, as well as going to church just a block away. We want to have community input towards what this what this has to be for us and the community. There's a lot of stipulations and areas that we feel like is currently the case with the park. I think a lot of people have named the the outside of basketball court. For me, it's imperative that city races control a perpetual lane from Boys and Girls Club. They are not speaking to the community. We live in a zip code 90813 where the per capita income is $17,000 and for lane charges over $20 for people in the neighborhood to engage with publicly owned, city owned property. I'm a property owner in the area. It makes no sense that the children in our community have to pay to use a city owned property. That's number one. So we needed to wrest control of the Boys and Girls Clubs and mandate of that because they're not doing right by us. And finally. Well, there goes the time. Thank you. The last thing is that with community partners, the trickle down Reagan economics days are over. There's a plenty of community based organizations who are here. We need to be compensated for it. Thank you. Next Speaker Freddy Johnson. Sean Earle. Shannon McLucas. Sean Olds. Daniel Pickens. Michela Palmer, Freddy Johnson. Hello. Good day. Good evening, counsel. Great to hear you speak me know most of you. Let's get to the point. We're suffering in that area. There is no structure. There's no financial backing for that structure. Okay. All of you were children. All of you had a part to play. These are the people that I am speaking to. If you ever were a child, it becomes at this moment, it's your responsibility to make sure that environment is better and they have better choices to make regardless of the situation. We've all come from things, but better is a choice, and the environment for that better to breed is these areas. They're not being considered or understood. They're being overlooked because we're overlooking it. You understand what I'm asking? The better is the choices we make in here. All of us were children. The children should not have to fight for the right, for choice to be a success and whatever role they choose. The basketball courts. There's one pool table. There's no physical anything inside these places. But if I went to Signal Hill Park, I can be a doctor in that park. Kings Park need to be that because kings still for every race in here. So how could that park not have more value than anything? He gave his life for the betterment of the culture of every class of people. Let's look up and stop looking down. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Yes, sir. Hello. My name is China. I also grew up in Long Beach, right around the corner from King Park. And when we were growing up in King Park, we used to swim and there used to be a little white pool. And we loved to get in that pool, even though the kids might urinate or suddenly that. Pool we got in anyway. And it was. Double the initiation. You wasn't from that neighborhood if you hadn't swim there, that little pool. You know what I mean? And I think the programs at the park had it days is what when we because we all grew up in the community turned us down different roles but it was those programs that was started at a young age that helped us when we got older, to be able to come back to our senses and to become mature men and grow up. And our kids today are missing that. They have no programs. They don't even have free lunch. They have a big, beautiful pool now in King Park that the children in our community can't even get in because the parents don't make the the amount of money it makes to be part of the Boys and Girls Club. And we need grassroots people to be up there. Volunteering and. Interacting with them kids. Because a lot of the times when I was in the streets, it was people that worked at that park and in the programs that see me like, Boy, you better get home. And I would respect that and I appreciate that and our kids need that back. Thank you. That speaker, please. Hello. My name's Shantel and I'm here to let you know that I respect all the names that you named FAS. The people that volunteered and sent in letters. And they are nonprofit to support Kingsport. But it's a shame that there was no black organization that wrote in to support Kingsport. And it's a shame, you know, my father took me to this fort and he told us what Dr. King meant to him and how Dr. King meant to us as a whole. Dr. King stood up for us all. He stood up to support each other. And when we stopped supporting each other. That part is a reflection of what the community is right now. The community is poor now and they don't have nothing to lose because they don't know nothing else. But I know better because my father took me there and he raised me there to show that I know better so that I can do better. The kids, they don't know better. Sorry. Not going to do better. Council. Everybody. You're letting us down. And I'm responsible for that, too. We got to we got to stand up. We got to stand up for our community. We got to stand up for our family member. But you continue to turn the back. No soul. The same souls that you're turning your back on, they're going to be forced out and they're going to be in your neighborhood and they go have a day. They're not going to care. They knock on Kerry and will be right at your door. Thank you. Speaker, please. Madam Clerk, can we just read off the next few to the line up coming for. Miss McLaren, MC Lucas, Daniel Pickens and Mikayla Palmer. Thank you. Vice Mayor, council people I encourage. You to support. With the sixth district council is trying to do. I'm probably. One of the few that was there when they broke the ground. Breaking park. When they open the doors. It's a very much needed thing. I grew up in Long Beach all my life. I run a nonprofit called Forgotten Images. It's really, really needed. My daughter. Her first job. Was working at King Park as a camp counselor. Please include the community in this planning. Thank you. Thank you. Let's speak to police. Hello. I am Akeelah Palmer and I'm going to talk about why softball should be in parks and in afterschool programs. Some parents cannot afford the actual sports park so kids can get some exercise while having fun. They should also be in after school programs. So while parents are working, kids can have fun and do an activity. Instead of kids being at home getting zero exercise, they can always go to a park to get exercise and have fun. Thank you. Good job. Thanks, Speaker, please. Good evening, counsel. My name is Daniel Pickens. I've been a resident of Long Beach for approximately seven years. I came here shortly after my term with the ninth US Marine Corps and I want to say that Long Beach has been very beautiful. The bay has been very kind. It's open me with warm arms. The residents, the community take very they took very much pride inside of their city. And I see that they are in a constant pursuit of doing more and more for the city. Me being the resident right there on 1904. Lemon I was literally living right next to Martin Luther King Park. So I saw everything that I went through through the course of the last seven years from the good, the bad and the ugly. You know, they removed a lot of the drug usage over there, and I see that it is on its way to improvement, but I know that there's a lot more that that could be done. You know, I had a child that I was mentoring over the last couple of years who was a resident over there. You know, he kind of fell prey to the structures of, you know, gangbanging. But, you know, nonetheless, I see him constantly trying to do more for himself. But I feel like if we implement more programs over there in Martin Luther King Park, if we give more opportunities for kids to be able to actually do affordable things, we utilize our resources to the best of our abilities. And we just overall as a community try to show that we really do care about our city. Then I felt that would be what Martin Luther King's dream to use. It's been 54 years in a day since his assassination. I'm going back in. Please. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello. City Council. Some of you guys know me. Some of you guys don't. I'm Jeremiah. I just wanted to put my $0.02 in. Even with me being a college student. Long Beach City College. Some of the some of the elders at Kings Park were kind of tell me, boy, go ahead and put that out and go back to class. It goes perfume, but go back to class. And even as I as I got older, I started having more children. And that would be the place I can take them that I would know will be affordable and feasible within my. District, you know, so just kind of take it into consideration. It's not really for us. It's for the next generation. And we're laying down the groundwork. Thank you. Thank you. All right. That concludes that concludes public comment. Thanks to everyone who spoke up. We're going to now take it back behind the rail. Councilwoman Zendaya's. Thank you and vice mayor and thank you, Councilwoman Sarah, for bringing this item forward. And thank you, all of you who came out to speak. I think that it's very important to hear your voices. And, you know, one of the things I admire a lot about you, Councilwoman Sarah, is that, you know, you really want to invite the community and then welcome them to participate. So I know that I know that that's something that I totally admire about you. So I'm glad that you guys are here and we can, you know, connect and steps. Really great. I know that MLK Park is such a valuable space to all of us in the city, not only because it's home to our beloved statue of Dr. King, but also because of all the that it offers to the surrounding community. And it can be a place where it offers a lot more. And I know that Councilwoman Sarah is going to bring that. Martin Luther King Park is has been one of the closest parks to my district with a swimming pool. And a lot of my district residents like to go over there. So because of that, it also is super special to me as well. I'm super supportive of this vision that empowers the community and and, you know, the neighbors for to be able to have a more positive light shone on this park and be able to create more opportunities for the community surrounding it. I'm really looking forward to receiving this report back and to hearing about all the possible outreach efforts to get the community informed and involved. And I think that this is a first step in the right direction. So I'm fully supportive of this item. And Councilwoman. All right. Thank you, Councilwoman Allen. Yeah, thank you, Vice Mayor. I just want to say thank you to everyone that came up here and commented. I was really, really moved. I love King Park. You know, I grew up I went to poly and and back in the day, I represented my friends, the student body president back in the eighties. And me and a lot of my friends. I was an athlete, but a lot of us spent some time at King's Park, a lot of time at King's Park. And I became keenly aware that it was not like other parks. I know in 1996, they added a pool they dumped. They've done some things there, but not enough. Not enough. And I stand with you. I just want you to know you're right, Dr. Ciro. Councilwoman Sara is amazing, and I stand with you and beside you on everything that we can do to make sure that we get you basketball courts, that we that we get just all the programing that our kids, my kids now your kids deserve. And so thank you, Councilwoman, for bringing this item forward. And you just let me know how I can help. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Austin. Thank you. And I also want to thank you for bringing this item forward. I really want to appreciate the community for coming out and speaking out. It's not every day that we get a community here behind an asset like King Part King Park is a is a jewel, is a treasure, is a core kind of cultural community space in the central area, sixth district. And what we heard tonight was love and pride of community. And obviously, as a city, we need to be supporting those efforts. I heard a lot about the visioning and what that means, and I do want to just give Steph the opportunity to to address what a visioning process actually looks like. Is there anybody here who can address that? Just briefly. Yes. Our director of public works, Brant Dennis, and our director of public I'm sorry, Parks and Rec and Public Works, Eric Lopez can help talk about that. Thank you, Councilman Alston. So in general terms, when a request for a vision plan originates on, the dais such as this one will immediately work with the community to develop a scope for exactly what that vision plan will entail. Some of our parks do have established master plans or vision plans, so that's actually the foundation for a good starting point. But some of those plans are decades old. And as we know, the neighborhoods and the demographics and the recreational needs around each park certainly changes with the times . So I think engaging with a consultant group, whether they typically are urban planners or landscape architects, that's kind of in their professional wheelhouse to help lead the community engagement and outreach. But I think the points that the community voiced tonight were excellent in terms of making sure we understand the right vehicles, the right techniques to make sure every voice is heard. And I know with COVID waning, our ability to get together in person is a really a positive thing. And I think most of our community meetings, when we can meet the neighbors in the park, walk and talk and envision together, that's a really positive approach. But we certainly work very closely with our colleagues at Public Works so that whatever visions are established, we know that things like historic properties and infrastructure, utility needs and other things that have changed with the times in terms of accessibility and in terms of accessibility, also want to mention how committed we are to language access. So any of our parks that we begin to communicate outwardly through surveying website invitations to contribute ideas and even an in-person meetings will be following all of our language access protocols. Thank you. And so Parks and Rec, you all kind of facilitate the visioning process and public works will actually implement the visioning process. Yeah. Councilman. And Public Works gets involved in the very beginning. We want to make sure that as we create the plan, as we listen to the community, as we learn what works, what doesn't work, of how our communities have evolved, have changed. You know, there are there are there's there's a lot of important information that comes out of the planning and visioning process that directly informs the actual technical work that comes with actual constructing the projects. So we're we're we're happy to be a partner here. We're happy to connect with the community, to work with all the organizations and individuals that that want to be engaged and participate and to to look at what opportunities exist to make this existing park better. So public works where the excellence in construction. But we also like to be involved in a beginning. Well thank you. I just wanted to just re-emphasize that this is going to be an inclusive, engaged process with the community and that that visioning process for basketball courts or whatever the vision that you may have as a community, you will have the opportunity to participate and engage in with the planners when we get to that point also. I know I have one at a time here, but Cob City Manager, I know during our budget process we set aside some funds to to restore the statue, and I believe those funds were already spent. So can you is there money already identified that we could actually put toward this visioning process to pay for it in our fy22 budget? Excuse me. Yeah. So that's part of the request that we've been tasked with today is to figure out the funding, figuring out the. The feasibility. Okay, folks, just. We hear you. Let's hear from the city manager. Thank you. Yeah. So there certainly is money that was set aside through which I believe was measure eight for the park. So that was set aside in the last year's budget. I did hear the question about the parade money. That money is actually restricted for special events. It can't be used for other things that some voters have put that restriction on it. But that's the task that you've been giving us tonight is figure out of the funding strategy. Come back, talk about what the plan would be and identify those resources. Okay. And then lastly, I just want to just say, again, King Park is a special place. Children grow up in that part. My kids spent many, many summers with Miss Connie at the summer summer daycare programs. It's a special place for me and my family. And so I'm happy to support this item. And I think we should put the resources behind, you know, a great visiting plan. Thank you. Thank you. Next is councilman, your anger. Thank you. And I want to thank everyone who came out today. Spend a few hours with us here out of your personal time to come and share your your vision for what the park should be. I think you've already made some suggestions. And I think that the city council has heard them, staff has heard them, and I'm pretty sure that they're going to be incorporated. MLK Park is special to everybody. It's special to me many years that they're going to go MLK Park for. Celebrations. For. MLK Parade. Day and the events at the Park for Juneteenth celebrations out there as well. And I'm looking. Forward to. Reactivating MLK Park to getting it back where it needs to be. And and I definitely support this item. Thank you, Dr. Sorrell, for bringing it forward. Because obviously it. Is a. Gem, a jewel of the sixth District, and we need to make it so. Thank you. Thank you. Councilman Price. Thank you and thank you for bringing this item. I, too, am very supportive of it and I appreciate all the comments from the members of the audience tonight. I do have a question for our staff. Why isn't the pool accessible to the community? I. Yeah, that is a misnomer. The Boys and Girls Club has no role with the pool, so it's a city pool, just like Silverado and Belmont pool. So we can help explain that will work with the council office to make sure there's no misunderstanding regarding access to King Pool. Okay. And I know a few years ago we brought an item forth to make sure that swimming for seniors and children was offered at a reduced rate throughout the city. Is that in effect at Kings Park? Yes, that's still in fact, yes. Okay. And what is the rate? I don't know what that is offhand. I'm sorry. All right. Because I want to make sure that it's affordable and it's something that everyone can afford because that is a beautiful pool. And I know that we want to make sure the youth is using it. And it's a it's a much needed asset. But I'm very supportive of this item, and I'm really happy to have heard from everyone in the audience tonight. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Mongo. Thank you. I am so supportive of park programs and visioning such as this. A few years ago, there's a couple of agenda items I think should be talked about. One is that there was an agenda item brought forward where we talked about what does community engagement mean and what does involving the community mean and what does it mean to notify the community? Is it via every door direct mail where you get a postcard in your mailbox that lets you know about a community meeting? Is it only using Twitter and Facebook? That's probably not the best sources. But we as a council said we want to hear from the city what they believe community engagement means. Then on a case by case basis for programs such as this, we want to see why you chose what you chose, to make sure that it aligns with the council person's expertize in knowing and understanding his or her community to make sure that that is the best way to get a hold of and engage the constituencies. So first and foremost, thank you all for being here. This is the first step of being engaged. Second, let's make sure that we use the systems that we created to ensure that the community has clear expectations of how they can and can't be reached and how they can and can't be involved, and that they know that they're not showing up to meetings that are useless, that they give input that is not implemented. We want that to be implemented. And then finally, there was another agenda item that I brought forward regarding park advocacy groups, and we have a great partner in a nonprofit organization called Partners of Parks. Earlier tonight, Councilmember Supernova gave funding to that organization to help a community group and parks on my side of town, probably because I brought the item and I really pushed for it. Each park has a group of six or seven people that consider themselves the park advocate for Wardlow Park or whatever they are, and they're people who live near the park, the people who are impacted the most by the park, or a person who might live adjacent or be a part of a program that has insights into the programing at the park that the community believes is the right person to be there. And Brett Dennis from Parks and Rec has worked to have some staff members available to engage with and provide those resources immediately. We shouldn't have to wait a year for a visioning process for you to get some of the resources that you need today, including but not limited to visibility and transparency about who's renting your park and how often and what does that mean and who is limited to access, including but not limited to the pool. When we brought forward an item to reduce access costs for the pool to either two or $4, I can't remember one. It's $1. For admission. The other three to 2 to $3 is covered by partners of parks through grants that they write. And so having them at the table and having them to help raise funds, they just helped raise funding for Admiral Kidd Park. And they're here to be an advocate for you and support you as well. And and we're here to help. And I am so proud of all of you for being here tonight. And I am 100% behind supporting Councilman Sorrow and all of you in getting not only a basketball court, but if you want. I was really supportive of midnight basketball. We needed it more of our parks. And while I appreciate that, I hear that the city is going to bring midnight basketball and house. I think that there's something to be said for asking the community what they want, if they want to continue to use some of the nonprofits that are providing those services and why before we just bring it in-house on our own and make those decisions. So I only have a little bit of information about that, but I'd like to dig in more at my next Parks and Rec briefing to better understand where we are on that and what I can do to support both Councilman Zendejas and Councilman Sorrell. Thank you. And the community. All right. Thank you. Before we hand it to Councilwoman Sorrell to close out, I want to thank everyone for stepping forward. What I heard today was a beautiful vision for the park. And if you want to see that vision implemented, you have to stay engaged. You heard, you know, the entire city council, black plurality of the city council expressed their support for King Park. But at the end of the day, the priorities need to come up in the budget when it comes time for funding. That's when we have to pay attention. The vision is key, but you all want to see the vision be implemented, so we have to make sure the dollars reflect those values. That's what's incredibly important. And so I'm happy to support this. I know it's possible. It's a great park. I've seen transformations at the Forest Park, Highland Park. It does not take that long. You can do some immediate work. You can get long term things like community centers and all sorts of things. But it really is really important to center on community activism. So you're going to have to. Going back to city council around budget time. That's my recommendation to you. And that said, I'm going to hand it back to Councilman Sauro to close it out. Yeah, I just want to express my deep appreciation for you to come out and share your thoughts that those feedback is what? The visioning processes. Hearing what hasn't been done. Hearing the historical disinvestment that's been made. Right. And that's what this process is. It's hearing. What does it take to make you feel like this is a community park that is fit for your children, our elders. Right. I hear you about making sure we're knocking on doors and reaching out to people like Miss Alice Robinson. She doesn't check emails. She doesn't even she she is old fashioned phone. And that's what my staff does. We call people and we also doorknock, I think now that things are getting better, that's what I also plan to do to reach out to people. And that's the work I love. I come from community organizing. I've been a labor organizer and I'm here to bill, you know, 100%, here to Bell. And, you know, I know what it's like to come from a place where, you know, I, I, I come to this with love because I know what hate does, right? I've been a child of genocide survivor. I've seen what hate has done in my community and what's even brought my family and my community here to the US. So I have no room for that. I have room for love and have a room for building and that's what I want to do in our community together with everybody . So that's the spirit that I want us to take with this visioning. I'm going to be I'll give you my full commitment to be part of that process, detailed in and out. So I look forward in us doing report back and engaging with you and how you were able to come out. I hope to continue this process because this is what it takes. So thank you and thank you to my council colleague for your support and staff as well. Thank you. Council member Sara was go ahead to our vote. Motion is carried. Thank you. Let's go ahead to item 30, please.