HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3.E 11/07/2005CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA
AGENDA BILL
November 7, 2005
Aeenda Title: Meetine Date: November 7. 2005
Resolution naming the new 7- acre Gatti park site "Leghoms Park"
Meetine Time: ® 3:00 PM
❑ 7:00 PM
Cateeory (check onel: ® Consent Calendar ❑ Public Hearing ❑ New Business
❑ Unfinished Business ❑ Presentation
Department:
Parks and Recreation
Cost of PYODosal: N/
Amount Budeeted:
Contact Person: Phone Number:
Jim Carr (707) 778-4380
Attachments to Aeenda Packet Item:
Resolution naming the Gatti park site Leghoms Park
Account Number: N/A
Name of Fund: N/A
Summary Statement:
The 7 -acre Gatti park project is approaching completion. A final aspect of the project was to name the park
after some aspect ofPetaluma's history that would truly be representative of the Petaluma Community. The
history and impact of the Petaluma Leghorn semi-professional football team on the development of
Petaluma as a community meets that goal. The sense of community identity and pride that evolved as a
result of the teams existence, meets the park naming criteria of an "organization.... which have had a
recognized direct positive effect on the community."
Recommended Citv Council Action/Sueeested Motion:
Recommend approval of the proposed resolution naming the Gatti park site Leghoms Park.
R viewed by Finance Director:
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Revision # and Date Revised: 'File Code:
CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA
5 NAMING OF THE GATTI PARK SITE
6 Leghoms Park
7
8 AGENDA REPORT
9 FOR
10 November 7, 2005
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12 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
13 The 7 -acre Gatti park project is rapidly coming to completion. One of the remaining tasks is to pick
14 a park name. The focus has been on a park name that would depict some special feature of the park
15 site or some aspect of Petaluma's history that would be truly representative of the Petaluma
16 community. The history and impact of the Petaluma Leghorn semi-professional football team meets
17 that criteria. The sense of community pride and identity that emerged with the success of the football
18 team, and the number of today's community leaders who were members of the team, had a dramatic
19 impact on the development of today's Petaluma Community.
20 2. BACKGROUND:
21 In the course of identifying a name for the new park located at the Gatti park site, staff had explored
22 a number of avenues to proceed. The criteria that staffwas trying to fill was a park name that would
23 identify some special feature of the land on which the park sits, or be representative of the past
24 history of Petaluma, that contributed to what Petaluma is today.
25 When researching the site the park sits on, it was clear that the land was always a volunteer hay field
26 with no special history or significant feature that would be appealing.
27 Through conversations with Recreation, Music and Parks Commissioner Joe Nortel and Petaluma
28 Museum Board President Susan Villa, the idea of naming the park after the Petaluma Leghoms
29 semi-professional football team of the 1950's emerged. Staff initially thought this would be more
30 appropriate for the RESA complex site since it was more sports oriented.
31 Following a presentation by local retired attorney Dave Traversi, the suggestion of naming the new
32 park after the team seemed most appropriate. Mr. Traversi has recently written a book titled Hail the
33 Hometown Hero's! The Petaluma Leghorn Leeacv which not only chronicles the semi -pro
34 football team, but also the emergence of the City of Petaluma. Following World War 11, returning
35 servicemen who had lost a number of years due to the war, started creating semi -pro football teams
36 throughout the state. Among the premiere teams on the west coast was Petaluma's own Petaluma
37 Leghoms. Playing their games at Durst Field, they would often play before standing room crowds of
38 up to 7,000 spectators, making the game the community's feature event of the week .... an event that
39 no one wanted to miss. More importantly, the team was comprised of a who's who list of names of
40 current Petaluma business leaders; men who were instrumental in helping Petaluma develop from a
41 sleepy small town into the City it is today.
42 Partly due to the advent of the Petaluma Leghoms (1946-1958), Petaluma emerged as a City,
43 developing a sense of pride and presence that exists to this day. In the words of author Dave
44 Traversi, when describing the period following the war, "It was a period in history ripe with special
45 social and economic conditions that will probably never occur again.... The result was a maturation
46 process that saw a thriving city emerge form a sleepy agricultural town, that carried its residents to a
47 new source of pride that still remains almost fifty years after the demise of the Leghorn football team
48 and, finally, created a brotherhood of those that participated in the program that is still a vital part of
49 their lives. The modem history of Petaluma is interwoven in the fabric that evolved from the birth
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I and growth of the Leghorns. The genesis of this organization is both fascinating and historically
2 significant, and deserves preservation for the future."
4 When identifying a name for the new park located at the Gatti park site, the goal was to try to obtain
5 a name that would be representative of the community, not an individual. The new park, with its
6 many features, will create a space for community building for all ages. The history of the Petaluma
7 Leghorns in reality would seem to mirror that effort: having played such an important role in
8 building a sense of community.
10 In looking at the City's Facilities Naming Policy and Procedure, the criteria under Service
11 Recognition specifies: "Recognition of individuals, groups and organizations for important service
12 contributions which have:
13 a. Had a recognized direct positive effect on the community."
14 The legacy of the Petaluma Leghorns would seem to meet that criteria in all that they accomplished.
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16 The Recreation, Music and Parks Commission, at their meeting of October 19's passed a motion to
17 recommend to the City Council that the Gatti park site be named Leghorns Park.
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19 3. ALTERNAT1vEs
20 a. Recommend to the City Council that the park site located at the Gatti property be named
21 Leghorns Park.
22 b. Recommend an alternative name for the new park, with some alternatives being Sonoma
23 Mountain Park or Little Hills Park.
24 c. Go to the community to solicit names for the new park
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26 4. FINANCIAL IMPACT'S:
27 Signage would be purchased as part of the park project.
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29 5. CONCLUSION:
30 In identifying a park name that would be representative of the Petaluma community, the legacy of
31 the Petaluma Leghoms meets all criteria. The organization played a role in helping the community
32 emerge as a city, creating civic pride, and a sense of community. Many of the families who
33 participated on the teams during that era comprise the community's business leaders of today.
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35 6. OUTCOMES OR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS THAT WILL IDENTITY SUCCESS OR
36 COMPLETION:
37 Appropriate signage will be prepared and installed.
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39 7. RECOMMENDATION:
40 Recommend that the new 7 -acre park located at the Gatti Park site be named Leghorns Park.
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RESOLUTION NAMING
THE NEW 7 -ACRE PARK
LOCATED ON THE GATTI PARCEL
LEGHORNSPARK
WHEREAS, the City of Petaluma has constructed a 7 -acre community park on the property formally known
as the Gatti park site; and
WHEREAS, Petaluma Community chooses to name the new park after an organization that has made an
important contribution to the Petaluma Community, and
WHEREAS, the Petaluma Leghorns Semi -Professional Football Team, comprised of many of today's
community business leaders, played an instrumental role in the 1950's, helping to create a
sense of community pride and identity for the Petaluma community, that exists to this day;
and
WHEREAS, through the impact of the Petaluma Leghorns Semi -Professional Football Team on the
Petaluma community, they meet the park naming criteria of Service Recognition: "having
had a recognized direct positive effect on the community"; and
WHEREAS, the Recreation, Music and Parks Commission recommends to the City Council that the new
7- acre park be named Leghorns Park..
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Petaluma City Council does hereby name the new 7 -acre
park located at the Gatti park site "Leghorns Park."
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