DATE: September 16, 2024
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Derek Schweigart, Parks and Recreation Director
DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT: RECREATION CENTER REBUILD PROJECT (CIP 301-678) –
RECREATION CENTER NAMING
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council, by Minute Order, receive and accept the report on the Recreation Center Rebuild Project (Project) and provide policy direction on whether to change the current name of the “William E. Walker Recreation Center” to the “Foster City Community Center” and to direct staff to develop and implement alternative methods of commemorating William E. Walker and other members of the Foster City community whose significant contributions were instrumental in the Recreation Center’s various phases of development since 1974.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The William E. Walker Recreation Center was named in 1997 after the center was remodeled, in recognition of Mr. Walker's contributions to the city and the development of the Recreation Center.
In the years following the naming of the Recreation Center, various City Councils had discussions about the naming of public facilities in response to several requests from the public to rename other City facilities including the sports fields at Sea Cloud Park. In response, the City began to take steps to limit the naming of any public facility after an individual or organization and on August 6, 2001, the City Council unanimously passed and adopted an ordinance prohibiting naming of public buildings, parks, sports
fields, streets, pedways, or plazas after individuals or organizations. This decision was later affirmed in 2014 when the City Council revisited the facility naming policy.
In 2023, during the extensive community engagement and design process for the Recreation Center Rebuild Project, there were suggestions from community members and leaders about renaming the current Recreation Center to "Community Center" to better reflect its purpose in fostering community in Foster City.
Staff requests that City Council provide policy direction on whether to rename the “William E. Walker Recreation Center” to the Foster City Community Center or consider other options provided by staff. If the City Council decides to change the facility's name, staff recommends developing and implementing alternative methods to commemorate William E. Walker and other significant contributors to the Recreation Center since 1974.
BACKGROUND
Known as the Foster City Community Recreation Center, the building was first dedicated 50 years ago in 1974. Renovations in 1995 combined two existing buildings under one roof, and subsequent addition in 1998 added additional space for the “Senior Wing”.
In 1997, when the Recreation Center was being remodeled, the City elected to change the name of the Recreation Center to the William E. Walker Recreation Center for Mr.
Walker’s contributions to the City of Foster City including his election to the Board of Directors of the Estero Municipal Improvement District in 1969, and election to the City Council in 1971 where he served as Mayor/President June, 1972 to August, 1973. He also served as the 1st chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee and was instrumental in the development of the original Recreation Center facility.
During the years between 1995 to 2002, various City Council’s discussed the renaming of parks, playfields, and public facilities. The City Council thought it was necessary to address the issue of renaming parks and/or public facilities after a request to rename the Recreation Center to the William Walker Recreation Center was approved by the City Council. This was followed by requests to rename the sports fields at Sea Cloud Park in 1999. The City Council directed staff to draft an amendment to Chapter 12.04 of the Municipal Code which would prohibit naming of public buildings, parks, sports fields, streets, pedways, or plazas after individuals or organizations. The amendment was introduced on July 16, 2001, and unanimously passed and adopted on August 6, 2001.
The City Council was supportive of other ways to acknowledge contributions made by citizens which led to the creation of the Sports Wall of Fame at Sea Cloud Park and the Foster City Community Wall of Fame.
On November 3, 2014, the City Council revisited the facility naming policy and took no action to change it.
At the regular City Council meeting on September 3, 2024, the City Council awarded a construction contract to BHM Construction, LLC, a key milestone for the Project which sets in motion the 20-month construction phase. Following this important decision, discussion regarding the facility’s naming is timely prior to construction and development of various shop drawings for the facility’s signage.
ANALYSIS
In 2023, during the extensive community engagement and design process for the Project, there were community members and leaders who inquired whether the current Recreation Center should be appropriately named “Community Center” given the main purpose for the facility in helping to create and nurture community in Foster City. In fact, during the conceptual design phase for the project, there was a consistent theme of “Community” that emerged from the feedback which was nicely demonstrated by a wordle exercise which characterized the public’s sentiment about the project.
Parks and Recreation facilities are no longer just a place for people to recreate to attend a class, program, or a meeting, but they are commonly referred to by urban planners as “third places”, a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, which play a critical role in strengthening residents’ sense of community. There are lots of examples of third places in our community including parks, recreation centers, churches, gyms, coffee shops, hairdressers, and can even be found virtually through Facebook, TikTok etc. Community Centers that are being envisioned and built today are referred to as the “Community’s Living Room”, where everyone is welcome to enjoy the facility whether one is participating in a class or not, where one may engage with others, socialize, and can reap the significant mental and physical benefits that the facility’s amenities can provide.
While Foster City lacks a downtown area for community gathering, Leo J. Ryan Park serves as a focal point and central location for the community to gather for such things as the summer concert series, the 4th of July event, Summer Days and the Rubber Ducky Races and is the location for many community and cultural festivals throughout the year.
While the current Recreation Center has served as a place for the public to participate in a recreation class, attend a meeting or host a private event or party, the new Recreation Center will serve the community more broadly as an iconic landmark and community hub for all to enjoy.
The construction of a new public facility provides an opportunity to re-envision and rethink how the facility will serve the community and how it will be identified by the public. Given the feedback the Project received concerning the facility naming during the community engagement process, staff is recommending that the City Council consider revisiting the Recreation Center’s naming since there will be design considerations for the signage that need to be accounted for prior to awarding a construction contract.
Staff have presented several naming options for Council’s consideration. Policy direction is needed because there are design and construction considerations for the signage for the Project. The following are several options for the City Council to consider for facility naming along with renderings that communicate how facility signage would appear in the various options.
1. William E. Walker Recreation Center (No change)
2. Foster City Recreation Center, with William E. Walker acknowledgement
3. Foster City Recreation Center, without William E. Walker acknowledgement
4. Foster City Community Center, with William E. Walker acknowledgement
5. William E. Walker Community Center
6. Foster City Community Center
7. Other?
Option 1 – William E. Walker Recreation Center (No change). This option maintains the current name for the Recreation Center and is shown in the rendering below.
Option 2 – Foster City Recreation Center. This option changes the name from William E. Walker Recreation Center to Foster City Recreation Center while still acknowledging William E. Walker. This approach seeks to maintain how the current building is referred to by the public which is either “Foster City Recreation Center” or just “Recreation Center”.
Option 3 – Foster City Recreation Center. This option is similar to Option 2 but does not acknowledge William E. Walker in the facility name or the building signage. In this option, staff would propose alternative ways of recognizing Mr. Walker’s contributions to the Recreation Center along with others who have made similar contributions.
Due to the sensitive nature of removing Mr. Walker’s distinction from the facility name, staff attempted to contact any remaining family members to advise of the possible change. Staff did an extensive search in the RecTrac Recreation customer database, comprehensive searches online, conducted outreach to other departments including City Manager and City Clerk, and reached out to the Foster City Historical Society, and even former Foster City City Managers such as Jim Hardy and Kevin Miller. Staff was unable to locate or contact any remaining family members.
Option 4 – Foster City Community Center. This option changes the name of the facility to Foster City Community Center, while still acknowledging William E. Walker on the building signage.
Option 5 – William E. Walker Community Center. This option changes the current name from Recreation Center to Community Center while maintaining “William E. Walker” in the facility name.
Option 6 – Foster City Community Center. This option changes the current name of William E. Walker Recreation Center to Foster City Community Center.
If the City Council takes action to change the Recreation Center name to “Community Center”, staff will return with naming options for the current Community Center which shares the same building as the Foster City Library. The current "Community Center” currently serves as a meeting room space and inaccurately named given its current function. Some preliminary ideas include: Foster City Library Annex, Foster City Community Center Anex, Foster City Meeting Center, Foster City Community Center Library Wing.
CEQA
Not Applicable
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact related to the requested policy direction on the Recreation Center’s renaming.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Proposed Facility Naming Slide Deck