TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to accept a total of $38,544 in grant funding, awarded by the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association, for the restoration of the Long Beach Navy Memorial in Shoreline Park; execute any documents necessary for the administration of the project; and increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund (CP) in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PR) by $38,544. (District 2)
DISCUSSION
For most of the 20th Century, the United States Navy had a compelling presence in the City of Long Beach. From 1919, when Long Beach was named homeport for the Navy’s very first Pacific Fleet, to 1940, with a full-scale naval base, including a shipyard, naval hospital, and a naval air station, Long Beach was the focal point for the Navy in the southwestern United States. In 1997, the naval facilities closed and naval activities ceased in Long Beach.
In the year 2000, a local artist was commissioned by the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association (Association) to design a memorial to commemorate the United States Navy’s presence and history in Long Beach. In July 2004, the Long Beach Navy Memorial (Memorial) was dedicated in the southwest portion of Shoreline Park (Attachment A). The Memorial includes a 15-foot high armillary sphere displaying images of naval history in Long Beach, a ship mast, an anchor, and a walkway comprised of dedicated brick pavers and a compass rose (Attachment B). The Memorial was constructed with funding from the Association and the City of Long Beach.
Over the years, the salt air, general wear and tear, and some vandalism to the Memorial have necessitated the refurbishment and restoration of the armillary sphere, ship mast, and brick walkway.
On December 4, 2012, the City Council authorized the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) to apply to the Association for grant funding in the amount of $38,544 in order to restore the Memorial. Recently, PRM was notified ...
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