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Council Approves Rose Bowl Exercise Loop, With Corporate Sponsorship Signage

$1.2 milllion project, funded by stadium non-profit arm, draws Councilmember’s careful watch

Published on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 | 4:39 am
 
A view of the route for the now-approved Rose Bowl Stadium Loop Pedestrian Pathway

In support of an ongoing non-profit fundraising effort by the Rose Bowl’s fundraising arm, the Legacy Collection, the City Council on Monday unanimously approved re-naming a Rose Bowl Stadium Loop Pedestrian Pathway, the “Honda Community Recreation Loop.” Earlier this month, residents’ groups voiced their concerns.

In addition to the renaming of the loop two new signs will also be erected along the exercise route.

The loop would provide a view of the Rose Bowl facility for visitors and tourists, and also serve as a pathway for daily park users, according to a staff report provided by Daryl Dunn, Rose Bowl general manager and CEO.

Third District Councilmember John Kennedy, in considering his vote, asked Dunn if the Rose Bowl “was going to do a better job with the signage than the earlier Wescom (“Rose Bowl Drive”) sign, something befitting a world-class facility.”

Dunn responded that the new signs were intended to honor “all the donors, including Honda, as well as Kaiser Permanente, and the rest, and the small signs would be six feet by six feet, and be subject to the full council’s approval.”

Dunn added that the Wescom sign was not subject to Council approval since it was under the Rose Bowl Operating Company’s jurisdiction, and the Rose Bowl merely applied and received a permit for the signage from the City.

Kennedy asked Dunn to be sure to engage “those who do this for a living,” to ensure that the new signage is not similar to the Wescom sign, which he said was “not indicative of the best we can do as a city.”

“We need A ++ quality signage,” said Kennedy, who voted to approve the loop and its signage.

About two weeks before Monday’s vote, a number of Rose Bowl area residents’ groups voiced concerns over the possibility of excessive corporate branding in the Arroyo Seco.

The West Pasadena Residents’ Association, the East Arroyo Residents’ Association, and the Linda Vista-Annandale Association sent a letter on October 1 to Mayor Terry Tornek and City Manager Steve Mermell describing “serious concerns” about naming public facilities after corporate sponsors as well as concerns about the process being used to approve signages in the Arroyo Seco.

The letter was signed by Kenyon Harbison, President, West Pasadena Residents Association; Calvin Wells, President, East Arroyo Residents Association; and Nina Chomsky, President, Linda Vista-Annandale Association.

“The Central Arroyo must not be dominated by corporate branding,” the letter said. “We understand the need to recognize those who generously contribute to Arroyo facilities, and support tasteful signs thanking them. However no Central Arroyo feature or improvement should be named after a sponsor. The City’s Park and Recreation Facility Naming Policy must be followed.”

The writers included in the letter a copy of the city’s Public Park and Recreation Naming Policy, which includes criteria for determining names and the process for their approval.
The process includes a review by the Recreation and Parks Commission in a public meeting.

“The Rosemont Drive and Area H projects are bypassing this process,” the letter writers said.

Now approved by the Council, the newly routed 3/4 mile ADA-accessible exercise loop directly across from the stadium is expected to provide a shorter alternative to the three-mile recreation loop, which draws hundreds of walkers, cyclists and runners every day, according to the Monday evening presentation.

The Area H perimeter project—which is projected to cost $1.2 million,—was supported by gifts raised by Legacy from multiple private donors, including Honda Corporation, the Ahmanson Foundation, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Kaiser Permanente, and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, with total contributions totaling approximately $1,895,000.

Dunn said the remaining balance of the $1.895 million total gift will be utilized to support unfunded stadium capital improvements, along with a new PUSD student education and physical fitness program, called “Field Trip to the Field.”

The RBOC originally approved the naming of Area H to “Honda Park,” subject to City Council approval, on June 2, 2016. But following meetings and feedback from local and community stakeholders, Dunn told the council, the RBOC then approved the new name, “Honda Community Recreation Loop” on October 6, 2016, again subject to full council approval.

The “Field Trip to the Field’ program will “eventually ensure that every student in the District has the chance ·to visit and learn about the Pasadena National Historic Landmark, the Rose Bowl Stadium,” said the report.

PUSD students will participate in a physical education class in Area H, utilizing
the new perimeter loop, before heading inside for a behind-the-scenes Stadium Tour, followed by lunch underneath the historic Rose Bowl Marquee.

The program began on October 4 with more than 100 students.

 

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