HomeMy WebLinkAbout17 - Grant Howald Park Rehabilitation Project — Acceptance of Conceptual Design - CorrespondenceReceived After Agenda Printed
May 14, 2019
Item No. 17
Subject: FW: Item 17 Grant Howell Park
From: Ron Yeo <ronyeo@me.com>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2019 10:10 AM
To: Dept - City Council<CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Item 17 Grant Howell Park
would like to offer my "conditional" support for this renovation project and hope that you approve it
with all of the alternates.
As a nearby resident, I am aware of the current issues of the park and am very impressed with the
final design solutions that the Park's staff and Landscape Architects have incorporated.
PLAYGROUND
The re -location and new play equipment makes perfect sense.
ATHLETIC FIELD
Like most Architects, I am not a fan of fake materials, but staff's rationale for changing to artificial turf
makes sense.
RESTROOM
The RR was one of the first ones that I designed for the City. It has held up remarkably well for over
20 years. The exposed beams need to be evaluated for dry rot and the interior, which is clean and
kept up nicely is rather dull and depressing. It would be helpful to brighten it up with a little color.
5T" STREET FRONTAGE
Adding a wide sidewalk is a necessary addition to the street where parents with strollers now have to
walk in the street. However this sidewalk requires the removal of the retaining wall, the utility poles
and the existing trees.
The existing trees are an important part of the Flower Street Village character.
Their loss would be significant. That said, it would be a fair trade of the existing trees for the
undergrounding of the utilities along 5t" Ave.
However, if for some reason that the undergrounding is not part of the project,
I as well as many of my neighbors would not be in favor of the tree removal and would not support the
design.
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