Title
Authorizing the naming of the downtown city park, on the half block on the north bounded by Robert Street, Tenth Street East, and Minnesota Street, as Pedro Park. (Laid over from November 12)
Body
WHEREAS, Pedro Park, envisioned on the full block bounded by Robert Street, 10th Street East, Minnesota Street, and 9th Street East, has been in the City of Saint Paul comprehensive plan since 2008, identified by the Planning Commission as Fitzgerald Park at that time (Fitzgerald Precinct Plan); and
WHEREAS, the family of Carl Pedro, Sr., who started Pedro Luggage business in 1914, owned Pedro Luggage at 104, 114 and 124 East 10th Street since the 1960s, and employed a hundreds of Saint Paul residents at livable wages, donated the site of their business in November of 2009 to the City of Saint Paul with the provision that it become a park by November 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council accepted this grant of land under the City's "no net loss of parkland" provisions, and entered into a Donation Agreement with Carl Pedro Jr., Eugene Pedro, Marilyn Pitera, and Josephine Pedro on November 18, 2009, Resolution 09-1271; and
WHEREAS, said Donation Agreement included a provision that the Pedro family name would be included in the name of the park which resulted from their donation, to honor their long tradition of doing business in Saint Paul, and further included a provision that "if Donee has not obtained the financing within a period of five years for the entire Park plan, it will convert the donated land to parkland consistent with this Agreement;" and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul currently owns the remainder of the north half of this entire park envisioned in the City's 2008 comprehensive plan; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul budgeted capital investment funds to complete a design of Fitzgerald [Pedro] Park in 2010, and formed a community design committee to work with the Department of Parks and Recreation; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Parks Commission was requested to take up the issue of naming the park to Pedro Park in September of 2010; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby authorizes naming downtown's newest park located on the north half block bounded by Robert Street, 10th Street East, and Minnesota Street as Pedro Park.