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Fountain Valley council OKs ‘Ed Arnold Way’ sign now; park renaming to be considered in parks master plan
Summary
Council directed staff to install a street sign honoring local volunteer and broadcaster Ed Arnold at the entrance to the Fountain Valley Sports Park immediately and to consider renaming Ellis Park as part of the parks master plan and any necessary policy amendment.
Council members voted during a June 3 study session to move forward immediately with a street naming honoring Ed Arnold, while reserving a possible park renaming for the parks master-plan process.
Rob, the city’s community services director, told the council that Ed Arnold had more than six decades in broadcasting and long volunteer service with organizations including Special Olympics Orange County and the Fountain Valley Rotary Club. Staff estimated the cost to update neighborhood signs and landscaping at Ellis Park at roughly $5,000 to $15,000 for basic work and up to $40,000 for a monument-style sign; staff said community groups had signaled willingness to help fund the effort.
Several council members and community leaders favored renaming the roadway that leads to the Boys & Girls Club and sports park so that parents and attendees would see the dedication daily. Council member Grandes explained that “putting it as the street sign, really, that’s where he’s gonna be the most honored,” citing visibility for park users and Special Olympics events. Family members at the meeting welcomed either honor. Dixie Arnold said, “All of this is an honor … What an enormous honor,” and Dean Arnold added, “My dad spent his whole life just wanting to help others.”
The city attorney advised that renaming a neighborhood park after a person is possible but may require a policy change because the city’s current park-naming policy favors geographic names for neighborhood parks. The council agreed to two directions: staff may proceed now with the street renaming (Ed Arnold Way at the sports-park entrance) and bring any park-renaming proposal forward during the parks master-plan process, with a staff recommendation on whether the council should amend the park-naming policy.
The immediate street renaming effort can be implemented quickly, staff said, and councilmembers volunteered to assist with fundraising and community outreach. No formal ordinance or final park-name change was adopted at the meeting; the park renaming will return for council consideration through the master-plan and policy-amendment process.
