Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 5.A
Meeting Date: May 22, 2024
From: John A. Corella - Director of Public Works
Title: Finalize the name for the Dream Homes neighborhood park currently under construction.
RECOMMENDATION:
For the City Council to consider the names submitted by the Parks and Community Events Commission (PACE) for the upcoming Dream Homes neighborhood Park project, select and approve a name for the new park.
BACKGROUND:
The Dream Homes neighborhood park has commenced construction. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 3, 2024. Prior to this date separate contracts were awarded to construct the park project’s west block wall and for the park’s construction. Various park equipment and ancillary accoutrements have been approved by the City Council starting last August through December 2023. All these efforts lead to a scheduled park completion date in March of 2025.
Now the City has another big task to consider, and this is adopting a permanent name for this upcoming new city park. Please be reminded that the “Dream Homes” name was a placeholder for the park and its respective grant application paperwork process.
Initiating the park naming effort internally was an effort undertaken by the Parks and Community Events Commission (PACE). PACE started the process by appointing two PACE members to the task driven PACE Dream Homes Park Naming Subcommittee. This took place at its October 3, 2023, meeting. The appointed members of this subcommittee are PACE Commissioners Mario Jimenez and Angel Herrera.
The task for the subcommittee was to provide ample opportunities for the residents of the Dream Homes neighborhood to be able to provide input in this process. The subcommittee members went throughout the neighborhood and polled residents that were open to making a recommendation. The subcommittee received responses from 58 residents.
The subcommittee was faced with many gated yards and doorbells not answered so the city staff PACE liaisons, sent out a mailer titled “Help us name the City’s newest park!” to all the households within the Dream Homes neighborhood to support the efforts of the subcommittee’s face to face polling efforts. The mailer provided residents the option to place a name on the mailer and either drop off at City Hall or the Cathedral City Library or send online to the City’s Discover Cathedral City website. The mailer was in both English and Spanish (attached). The city received 29 responses.
Lastly, to ensure that the next generation of Dream Homes residents had a chance to have input on the name of the park, city staff PACE liaisons asked Agua Caliente Elementary School Principal Eric Antuna to participate with the subcommittee’s task and ask the children of the school and area to provide a name. The naming of the park was presented as a project for teachers to assign to their students. The project was to draw a picture of what the student would like to do at the new park and provide a name for it. Thank you to the Agua Caliente’s Principal and teachers as the city received 400 responses from the students.
DISCUSSION:
The results of the efforts outlined in the background above via the three (3) different solicitation methods as follows:
1. The subcommittee results from actively going door to door in the Dream Homes neighborhood to solicit a park name from residents are as follows:
a. 58 residents responded with a name recommendation.
i. 58 for the name “Esperanza Park.”
2. The mailer results to all the residents within the Dream Homes neighborhood are as follows:
a. 29 recommendations were received.
i. 14 for the name “Agua Caliente Park.”
ii. 2 for the name “Dream Homes Park.”
iii. 2 for the name “Esperanza Park.”
iv. 1 vote each for:
1. “Keep Dreaming”
2. “Healing Park”
3. “Hope Park”
4. “Serenity Park”
5. “Desert Oasis”
6. “River Road”
7. “Pathway Park”
8. “Quail Park”
9. “Dream On”
10.“Cathedral City Park”
11.“Finally Dreaming”
3. The student assignment requesting a name had a significant number of creative responses and staff is listing those below:
a. 400 recommendations were submitted back to the city. i. 42 for “Cathedral City Park.”
ii. 23 for “Agua Caliente Park.”
iii. 20 for “Dream Homes Park.”
iv. 10 for “Dreamer Park.”
v. Examples of other names were:
1. “Cathedral City Family Park”
2. “Cathedral Park”
3. “Funest Cathedral City Park”
4. “The Fun Park”
5. “Cathedral City Spring Park”
6. “Cat City Park”
7. “Cathedral City Community Park”
8. “Cathedral New Park”
9. “Cathedral City Fun Park”
10. “Cathedral City Party Park”
11. “The Best Cathedral City Park”
12. “Dream Homes Park”
13. “Dream World Park”
14. “Dream Day Park”
15. “Kids Park”
16. “Family Park”
17. “Rainbow Park”
18. “Imagination Park”
19. “The Cool Park”
20. “Kids, Cats, Dogs and Turtles Park”
21. Many others as well!
PACE considered these names at its May 7, 2024, meeting. After discussion and consideration, PACE opted to provide the City Council with three names ranked in preference with No. 1 being the highest preference as follows:
1. “Esperanza Park”
2. “Cathedral City Community Park”
3. “Pathway Park”
Note: The PACE considered the “Kids, Cats, Dogs and Turtles Park” as the most creative name submittal by a student at the Agua Caliente Elementary School.
With the above information as support for the City Council in its effort to provide a name for the city’s newest park, staff is requesting that the City Council discuss, consider, and finalize the name for the new Dream Homes neighborhood park currently under construction.
FISCAL IMPACT:
DESCRIPTION GENERAL
LEDGER
ACCOUNT
CODES
PROJECT
CODE
AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2023-2024
Dream Homes
neighborhood
park naming
00.00 2023-2024 Total $00.00
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
GOAL B: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other city infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and
maintained.
Action B-14: By the end of 2023 complete the design phase and begin construction on the Dream Homes Park
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Folded Postcard Dream Homes Park Naming Rev (003)
2. Flyer New Park Elementary School_1