Alex Coolman
GLENDALE -- If the Town Center project is going to incorporate a park
for residents, it should be dedicated to the cause of peace and cultural
harmony, residents told the City Council.
The idea for a "peace park" is one that has been brewing among members
of the Character and Ethics Project, the Seeds of Peace and the Glendale
Council PTA, said Nancy Stone, a Character and Ethics Project member who
is an advocate for the proposal.
The Seeds of Peace is a group of community members that organized in
the aftermath of the slaying of Hoover High Student Raul Aguirre. The
group works to bring residents of different ethnicities together. The
Character and Ethics Project is a program among business and community
leaders that promotes ethics in daily life.
"There's been such division in the city, and we really feel like this
is a way to bring people together," Stone said.
The park, which would be in the middle of the retail and residential
development in Town Center, could feature peace-themed art and, perhaps,
a meditative garden, she said.
Some city officials have reacted positively to the proposal.
Sgt. Rick Young of the Glendale Police Dept. said the park would help
demonstrate "that we as citizens of Glendale are working for an
inclusive, safe and equitable community."
And Councilman Rafi Manoukian, reacting to Stone's presentation to the
council on Tuesday, said he was in favor of the idea. "We need more
individuals who are coming together to bring this community together," he
said.
Nello Iacono, the city's parks director, pointed out that, since the
design of the park is not clear, it's a little early to decide whether
that green space should have a theme.
"We haven't really even got into that discussion yet," he said. "But
in terms of that suggestion, that is one notion that can be considered as
one of the ideas."
Stone said thinking ahead was the point of the early effort for the
park.
"We're hoping to get in on the ground floor of the planning," she
said.
