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Residents urge city to halt disposal of historic artifacts from City of Palms Park
Summary
Residents and preservation groups told council they found what they described as historic artifacts and architectural pieces from City of Palms Park in dumpsters and asked the city to halt disposal and develop a better inventory and transfer process; the city manager ordered staff to stop discarding items while the materials are investigated.
During the public-comment period, residents raised concerns that historic architectural items and artifacts removed from City of Palms Park were being discarded without inventory or preservation steps. Gina Saviston told council she had photographic evidence and asked staff to clarify what items were placed in dumpsters, how long dumpsters would remain onsite and whether retrieval and inventory efforts were underway.
"Those historic artifacts were related to the Coca Cola plant... original lights from the Edison Bridge... and possibly the sign to the snack house," Saviston said, and urged the city to develop a process so artifacts can be salvaged and displayed. A representative of Lee Trust for Historic Preservation corroborated the public concern and said offers had been made by local organizations to preserve and display recovered items.
City staff said the city manager directed staff to cease further disposal while records are reviewed and that staff would follow up on retrieval and inventory steps. Councilmembers encouraged working with the Historic Preservation Commission and local nonprofits to identify appropriate custodial or display options for recovered artifacts.
