Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: AUGUST 1, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: ERIC LEVITT, CITY MANAGER
PREPARED BY: DAISY PEREZ, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL AND KOREAN GARDEN NAMING
SUMMARY
The City received a request to name the area of Hillcrest Park adjacent to the Korean War Memorial (near Brea Boulevard and Harbor Boulevard) as the Korean Garden. City Council approved the concept plan for the memorial at Hillcrest Park in 2019 which included this area. The Korean American Federation of Orange County (KAFOC) has indicated interest in maintaining the Korean garden area.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve naming the area of Hillcrest Park adjacent to the Korean War Memorial as the Korean Garden and authorize City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the KAFOC for maintenance of the Korean Garden site.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
None.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The KAFOC would cover all costs associated with the proposed change, including any maintenance costs of the area.
DISCUSSION
The Orange County Korean War Memorial Committee (OCKWMC) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City in March 2014 to “facilitate mutually beneficial efforts to promote a historic remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives for the United States during the Korean War”. The term for this MOU ended in March 2016. The City considered several locations throughout the City for the memorial During this time. However, OCKWMC’s efforts tapered off and ultimately postponed.
OCKWMC met with the Mayor in 2019 expressing interest in continuing with their efforts and to discuss moving forward with the memorial at Hillcrest Park, adjacent to the Duck Pond. They also met with, and received support from, members of the City Council and local veterans groups associated with the City’s existing veterans and war memorials during this time.
City Council approved a new MOU on November 5, 2019 directing for staff to work with OCKWMC and proceed with the project. Landscape Architect Mia Lehrer + Assoc., in conjunction with the OCKWMC and City staff, developed a concept plan for the memorial at Hillcrest Park adjacent to the Duck Pond. The OCKWMC approved the concept.
City Council approved the final design plans for the Korean War Memorial at Hillcrest Park, adjacent to the Duck Pond on July 21, 2020. The memorial, which opened on November 11, 2021, became the first Korean War Memorial in the United States to commemorate all 34,027 United States Service members that died during the war. California residents represented 2,611 of these losses.
The City recently received a request from the KAFOC to maintain the Korean Garden area in the concept plan and asked the City to name the area adjacent to the Korean War Memorial as the Korean Garden. Staff presented the approved concept plans to City Council (Attachment 1) on July 21, 2020, outlining the limits for the project, which included the Duck Pond area. The area outlined in the site plan is commonly referred to as the Korean War Memorial site, consistent with the concept plan approved in 2020. Staff recommends approving the name formally recognize this area of Hillcrest Park as the Korean War Memorial and Garden. The KAFOC has proposed to maintain the garden designated area of the park on behalf of the City. If approved, the City would enter into a MOU with the KAFOC for maintenance of the area.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Site Plan
Korean War Memorial and Korean Garden Naming
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