Commission recommends renaming Greenbelt accessible trail and South Park playground for advocates Jeff Hirsch and Casey Rohrer

The Hermosa Beach Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously recommended that City Council adopt resolutions renaming the accessible portion of the Greenbelt Pedestrian Trail in honor of Jeff Hirsch and Casey Rohrer and renaming the South Park accessible playground in honor of Casey Rohrer.

Staff said the commission's Greenbelt Pedestrian Trail and South Park Accessible Playground Renaming Subcommittee developed the recommendations. The subcommittee proposed renaming the trail segment the "Jeff Hirsch and Casey Rohrer Greenbelt Accessible Trail" and the South Park playground the "Casey Rohrer Accessible Playground," and recommended commemorative benches and plaques be installed at each site.

Staff described the justification in the subcommittee report: Hirsch, who used a wheelchair after a stroke, advocated for accessibility across the beach cities and served on the city's Access Hermosa working group; Rohrer, born with cerebral palsy, and his family advocated for the universally accessible playground installed at South Park in 2016 and participated in design and ribbon-cutting events. Staff proposed bench locations on existing concrete pads to allow for ADA seating adjacent to each bench.

Commissioners discussed the geographic scope of the naming and asked staff to clarify that the renaming applies to the accessible portion of the Greenbelt (the pedestrian-accessible segment) rather than the entire Greenbelt corridor. Commissioners asked staff to include explicit wording that the honored trail segment runs from Pier Avenue to Eighth Street; staff confirmed the plaque language and the city web page would clarify the segment.

Timing and installation details were also discussed. Staff said the South Park plaque would be installed after completion of CIP 603 (South Park Slope Irrigation and Landscape Improvements), currently anticipated to finish in July 2025; the Greenbelt dedication would be scheduled for June 2025 (to coincide with Hirsch's birthday month). The commission directed staff to forward the subcommittee recommendations and the draft resolution to City Council for its March 25 meeting for formal action.

At the meeting several commissioners spoke in favor of the recognition. One commissioner said, "I couldn't be prouder to be part of such a great subcommittee," and others noted the renaming acknowledged the advocates who helped make the trail and playground accessible. The commission's recommendation passed unanimously and will proceed to council for final action; staff will coordinate bench installation, plaque wording and dedication events if and when council approves the resolution.