PALOS VERDES ESTATES : Park Upgrade, Plaque for Slain Officers OKd
A $226,000 renovation of Palos Verdes Estates Memorial Gardens, which received preliminary approval from the City Council on Tuesday, includes a bronze sundial and a plaque bearing the names of Capt. Michael Tracy and Sgt. Vernon Thomas Vanderpool, police officers who were killed by a gunman Feb. 14.
The council scheduled a public hearing on the renovations Aug. 9, when it is also expected to give final approval.
The city plans to pay for the renovations with donations, and a committee appointed by the mayor has raised about $5,000.
Residents and planning and parks commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting were concerned that, like several city fountains, the memorial would fall into disrepair. Some also complained that the design is too flashy.
“This city is neither Washington, D.C., nor Beverly Hills,” resident Bunny Jezewski said. A short stone column in the gardens lists the names of three Palos Verdes Estates residents who lost their lives in World War II. As part of the renovations, residents who died in all U.S. and other wars would be commemorated.
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