City staff presented a construction update for Ramona Garden Park and a plan for closing a funding gap while responding to community concerns about removed memorial plaques and benches.

Assistant City Manager Erickson and CIP Manager Wigan summarized project progress for the two‑acre park (phase 1: playground; phase 2: amphitheater and band shell; stormwater basin in the southwest corner), noting construction began in June and major structural work is expected to be complete by mid‑2026 in time for summer events. The project received a 2023 CDBG grant of roughly $3 million; staff said higher than anticipated construction costs left a funding gap of about $450,000. The Grover Beach Community Foundation ran a donation program that sold 170 commemorative pavers and two benches, generating approximately $64,000 in gross receipts, and the city is pursuing naming‑rights donors for the band shell.

City Manager Bronson told the council that construction required removal of numerous benches, plaques and trees that had been placed over decades with limited formal city records. "We have reunited 3 of the 6 plaques with families and we're in the process of working on the other ones as well," Bronson said, and staff offered commemorative pavers at no cost to affected families. Several family members and community representatives told the council they were not notified of the removals and sought restoration or comparable recognition; one family said a removed tree had been intended as a future wedding site and asked to be reunited with the plaque or given a comparable memorial.

After extended public comment, the council directed staff to contact the affected families, offer a menu of options (for example: a plaque placed with a city‑maintained tree, a bench or picnic table dedication, or a commemorative paver), and prepare a written agreement clarifying maintenance responsibilities and anticipated lifespans for donated benches/tables. Council asked staff to proceed without waiting for future phases 3–4 (which are unfunded) and to pursue options that can be implemented in the current construction window. Staff said pavers are scheduled to be installed early next year and that the city will continue fundraising for the band shell naming rights.

Provenance: Staff presentation begins at 01:07:42; public comment on memorials begins at about 01:23:59 and council direction was recorded later in the meeting.