Assembly forwards $3 million Marine Park funding ordinance after debate; vote splits 6–3

The Committee of the Whole debated supplemental funding for the Marine Park renovation project and ultimately voted to forward an ordinance with a $3,000,000 transfer to fully fund the project; the motion passed on a roll call vote of 6–3.

Public works staff earlier reduced the requested transfer from $3.5 million to $3.0 million; committee discussion and public comment had urged retaining major design elements. PWFC had recommended removing the stage covering rather than the covered seating to reduce cost without returning the project to design, but the full assembly ultimately moved forward with an ordinance and asked the city attorney to prepare a concurrent resolution to correct the ordinance title to match the $3 million transfer.

At roll call the assembly recorded these votes on the Bryson motion to forward the ordinance with instructions to the city attorney to draft a title-change resolution: Yes — Bryson, Steininger, Adkisson, Kelly, Hughes Gandy, Deputy Mayor Smith (6). No — Mayor Weldon, Hall, Wall (3). The motion carried.

Discussion before the vote included concerns about total project cost (near $10 million before the transfer), programmatic choices such as whether to include covered seating or stage covering, the potential for vendor booths to generate revenue, and practical questions about how the city will prevent covered spaces from being used as overnight shelter by unhoused residents. Parks staff said activation, programming, and enforcement strategies would be part of operational planning if the project moves forward. The ordinance forwarding does not itself authorize expenditures beyond the transfer language and requires introduction and further action by the full assembly per standard process.