CITY OF GROVER BEACH
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 11
Placement: Business
Meeting Date: October 27, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Erin Wiggin, CIP Manager
Kristin Eriksson, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: CIP 1259 Ramona Garden Park Improvement Project Update
RECOMMENDATION
Receive an update on the Ramona Garden Park Improvement Project Phases 1 and 2; and provide input and direction to staff.
BACKGROUND
Overview
Ramona Garden Park (“Park”) is a multi-use park, bounded by North 9th and North 10th Streets on the west and east, and Ramona Avenue and Brighton Avenue on the south and north, respectively. The Park is the focal point for activities in Grover Beach and the South County, in general. Many public and private functions are held at the park such as the Stone Soup Music Festival and Street Fair and the City’s Summer Concert Series.
After a community outreach effort beginning in 2019, the Council adopted the Ramona Garden Park Master Plan (“Master Plan”) in November 2020, which provides a “road map” for the City to guide future park improvements over a multi-year period along with implementation and construction of these improvements. The Master Plan was refined with a consultant-led effort on the design and construction phasing of this project. The Master Plan is divided into four phases with Phase 1 being the playground and restroom while Phase 2 features the amphitheater and bandshell. Attachment 1 shows the project plan with Phases 1 and 2 outlined in red.
The City was able to secure a 2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $3,150,000 to fund Phases 1 and 2 of the project. On April 14, 2025, the Council approved a construction contract for this project and construction started in June. Construction activities to date include site mobilization, construction survey and staking, demolition, clearing and grubbing, utility trenching, earthwork activities, grading and concrete work. Over the next couple of months grading and concrete work will continue and equipment installation will begin. Weather permitting, construction is expected to be complete by mid-2026 for the return of the Summer Concert Series to Ramona Garden Park. Project updates are provided on the City’s website.
Community Donation Program
Along with the CDBG funding, the City is using funding from the Parks Construction Fund, Parks Development Impact Fee Fund, and Recreation Development Impact Fee Fund for a total of $3.6 Staff Report: CIP 1259 Ramona Garden Park Improvement Project Update Page 2 October 27, 2025
million in available project funding. Given that the total cost of the project is approximately $4 million, there is a gap of approximately $450,000 to fully fund construction. The Council had previously authorized use of General Fund reserves to close this funding gap which would be carried when closing out project accounting by the end of FY 2025-26. However, the Council also authorized development of a community donation program with the Grover Beach Community Foundation (Foundation) to help offset the cost not covered by the project funding. This program is guided by the Ramona Garden Park Community Donation Policy adopted by the Council in December 2024 and shown in Attachment 2.
Over the past year, the Foundation has promoted this donation program through creating a dedicated website, tabling at numerous community events, and sending out a mailer to households and businesses in the city. This promotional work was funded by a $5,000 mid-year appropriation approved by the Council on March 10. The donation program included commemorative pavers to be installed near the playground along with benches, tables, and other items such as bike racks and drinking fountains.
In total, the Foundation sold 170 commemorative pavers along with two benches which generated $64,000 in funding. While the time period to purchase commemorative pavers has ended, the Foundation will continue to accept donations for tables and benches. The Foundation and the City are also continuing to work with prospective donors on naming rights for the bandshell at the new amphitheater in the park for 25 years pursuant to the Community Donation Policy. Such naming rights would involve a significant donation and staff will bring a naming rights agreement to the Council for approval when this donation is secured. The Council may wish to direct staff to pursue other donation efforts during the remainder of the project construction.
Memorial Plaques, Benches, and Trees
Lastly, staff wished to address the removal of memorial plaques and benches at the park during project construction. Numerous plaques and benches were installed at Ramona Garden Park over many years by community members to recognize loved ones who passed. In addition, community members planted numerous trees at the park in various locations often as part of this recognition. These installations were typically done outside of direct City involvement or authorization even though the park is a City facility. As a result, the City’s records about these installations over time are very limited including locations and contact information.
During the project design process from 2020 to 2024, the placement of these memorial plaques, benches, and trees at the park was raised with the Council and Parks, Recreation, and Beautification Commission (Commission) as the Phases 1 and 2 improvements unfortunately conflicted with the location of many of these memorial items. The design consultant and staff recommended with Council and Commission concurrence that transitioning these memorials to commemorative pavers in a walkway or a future memorial wall was better suited for the revised configuration and amenities of the park.
When the construction for Phases 1 and 2 began in June, the previously placed plaques and benches were removed along with most of the trees planted by community members. The City regrettably was not able to contact families given the limited records prior to construction. The City recognizes the deep personal significance these memorials hold and retained the plaques and benches with the intent of returning them to the families or organizations that placed them.
Staff has had numerous conversations with affected families and organizations since June and has returned several plaques and benches to date. Staff also offered these families a commemorative paver at no cost in honor of their loved one and several families have done this.
Staff Report: CIP 1259 Ramona Garden Park Improvement Project Update Page 3 October 27, 2025
In addition, staff would seek further direction from the Council if there are other items the City could offer to these families such as installing a plaque at a specific location and/or dedicating one of the new trees the City is planting with this project. Such an action could balance the historic significance of the prior memorials with the current and future needs of this City park. This recognition if directed would be subsequently documented and approved by the Council with subsequent City record-keeping to prevent future uncertainty about such actions.
FISCAL IMPACT
The CDBG program award provides $3,150,000 for construction with additional funding from the Parks Construction Fund, Parks Development Impact Fee Fund, and Recreation Development Impact Fee Fund for a total of $3.6 million in available project funding. Given that the total cost of the project is approximately $4 million, there is a gap of approximately $450,000 to fully fund construction. The Council had previously authorized use of General Fund reserves to close this funding gap though also authorized a Community Donation Program with the Grover Beach Community Foundation to help offset this gap.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Receive an update on the Ramona Garden Park Improvement Project Phases 1 and 2 and provide input and direction to staff; or
2. Provide alternative direction to staff.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Project Site Map
2. Ramona Garden Park Community Donation Policy
Multi-Year Goals
☐ Public Safety and Community Services ☐ Economic Development and Housing ☒ Community Infrastructure ☐ Financial and Organization Sustainability Council Priorities
☐ Water & Wastewater Infrastructure ☐ Community Engagement Attachment 1
City of Grover Beach
Ramona Garden Park
Community Donation Policy
As Approved by City Council Resolution 24-58
Date:
December 9, 2024
Attachment 2
1 Table of Contents
SECTION 1 – OVERVIEW............................................................................................................2
1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................2
1.2 Administration of Policy.................................................................................................2
1.3 Role of the Grover Beach Community Foundation........................................................2 SECTION 2 – DONATIONS PROCESS.......................................................................................2
2.1 Donations Processing ...................................................................................................2
2.2 Accounting of Donations ...............................................................................................2 SECTION 3 – RECOGNITION ITEMS AND DONATION LEVELS ..............................................2
3.1 Donation Levels.............................................................................................................2
3.2 First-Come First-Served................................................................................................3
3.3 City Discretion and Approval for Recognition Items ......................................................3
3.4 Other Donations ............................................................................................................3 SECTION 4 – MAINTENANCE OF DONATED ITEMS ................................................................3
4.1 Amphitheater Bandshell Naming Rights......................................................................3
4.2 Picnic Tables and Benches...........................................................................................4
4.3 Bike Racks ....................................................................................................................4
4.4 City Website Acknowledgement....................................................................................4 SECTION 5 – LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS.............................................................................4 2 SECTION 1 – OVERVIEW
1.1 Introduction
The purpose of this policy is to guide City staff, the Grover Beach Community Foundation and community members who wish to support the Ramona Garden Park Rehabilitation Project in managing donations for the project. The City values the support of the community and seeks to incentivize and acknowledge community generosity with appropriate recognition. The policy is intended to protect park resources and to assure the goals of Ramona Park Master Plan are adhered to.
Guidelines established by this policy will apply to all donations made after the effective date of this policy. Standards established by this policy will apply to purchased equipment, installation techniques, donation acknowledgements, and long-term care of all donations made after the adoption of this policy.
1.2 Administration of Policy
The City Manager, Assistant City Manager and Community Services Supervisor are authorized to administer and adjust this policy, including adjustment to the donation items and methods. Adjustments to the levels of acknowledgement and recognition requires City Council approval.
1.3 Role of the Grover Beach Community Foundation
The Grover Beach Community Foundation has partnered with the City to manage the Ramona Park Community Donation Program. The Foundation is authorized to accept donations on behalf of the City and to work with City staff to provide acknowledgements/recognition as specified by this policy.
SECTION 2 – DONATIONS PROCESS
2.1 Donations Processing
The Community Foundation will set up a webpage to process donations from the community. The Community Foundation will communicate with donors who will receive recognition items to coordinate language for plaques and/or pavers.
2.2 Accounting of Donations
All donations collected for this program will be placed in a designated account and will be tracked to ensure all donations are directly applied to the Ramona Garden Park Rehabilitation Project.
SECTION 3 – RECOGNITION ITEMS AND DONATION LEVELS
3.1 Donation Levels
The following are levels of donations under the Ramona Park Community Donation program and their respective recognition or items funded by each donation level. 3 Recognition Item Donation Level Number
Available
Picnic Tables $7,000 6
Park Benches $5,000 4
Bike Rack $3,000 1
Dedicated Pavers (Large – 8”x8”) $500
200
Dedicated Pavers (Small – 4”x8”) $250
Letter of Appreciation/Feature on Website $50 or more Unlimited
3.2 First-Come First-Served
Recognition items listed in Section 3.1 will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the time a donation is completed.
3.3 City Discretion and Approval for Recognition Items
3.3.1 – City Discretion. The City shall have sole discretion on the site placement, style and material of recognition items, in compliance with the Ramona Park Master Plan and design plans approved by the City Council.
3.3.2 – City Approval. Naming or other language featured on recognition items must receive prior approval from the City prior to installation to ensure it meets community standards and aligns with the park’s intended atmosphere. See Section 5 for language requirements.
3.4 Other Donations
3.2.1 - There may be additional donations of items possible other than those expressly listed or contained within this policy. The City may accept those donations subject to a review by the City Manager or designee. Additionally, the City may elect to seek additional donations to sponsor replacement recognition items after expiration of the maintenance period specified in Section 4.
3.2.2 – The City will accept donations in any amount, provided that they may not qualify for recognition as noted in Section 3.1.
SECTION 4 – MAINTENANCE OF DONATED ITEMS
4.1 Amphitheater Bandshell Naming Rights
The City may consider naming the amphitheater bandshell to be installed at Ramona Garden Park. Should the City approve naming the bandshell following a substantial donation, it shall remain for a period of twenty-five (25) years or the useful lifespan of the bandshell, whichever comes first.
4 4.2 Picnic Tables and Benches
Picnic tables and benches, along with the commemorative donor plaques, will be maintained by the City for ten (10) years or the useful lifespan of the items, whichever comes first. Upon removal of these items after this term, the City will contact the donor, if possible, to return plaques to the donor.
4.3 Bike Racks
Bike racks will be maintained by the City for ten (10) years or the useful lifespan of the item, whichever comes first.
4.4 City Website Acknowledgement
The City will maintain a list of donors on its website for a period of five (5) years.
SECTION 5 – LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Language and names applied to plaques and pavers listed in Section 3.1 must comply with the following:
• No profanity or derogatory language.
• Plaques should avoid language that may be offensive, divisive, or inflammatory. Words and phrases must be respectful and inclusive.
• Statements that advocate for specific political, religious, or social causes are not permitted. Dedications should reflect a positive and inclusive tone without specific ideological or religious language.
• Plaques should not include purely commercial content or advertisements. Recognition should be limited to the donor's name and, if appropriate, a brief dedication statement that aligns with the park's public mission.
• All language must comply with the text length determined by the City. • This list is not exhaustive and the City reserves the right to reject any language deemed inappropriate or inconsistent with community standards or the City’s desired atmosphere for City parks.