SR-02-12-2013-8CCity Council Meeting: February 12, 2013
Agenda Item:_C
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Karen Ginsberg, Director of Community and Cultural Services
Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works
Subject: Options to Establish a Commemoration for Santa Monica's War Dead at
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Review and comment on establishing a commemoration wall at Woodlawn
Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum honoring Santa Monica's war dead, and
direct staff to develop design concepts and cost estimates.
2. Approve Location 1 — Mausoleum Entrance as the recommended location.
Executive Summary
Santa Monica currently does not have a commemoration wall dedicated to Santa
Monica residents who have fought and died in war. Preliminary research identified at
least 97 Santa Monica residents who were casualties of the many wars since Santa
Monica's incorporation. The upcoming annual Memorial Day remembrance on May 27,
2013, at Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum marks the 75th anniversary of
the event and provides the occasion to launch an effort for such a memorial on the
cemetery grounds. Staff recommends a respectful and elegant wall to be designed in-
house, given the limited timeframe and budget considerations, and has identified two
appropriate locations for such a commemoration wall for Council's consideration. The
estimated cost of a commemoration wall is between $7,500 and $15,000 depending on
size and complexity. Funds would need to be raised as a part of a capital campaign.
Discussion
At the August 14, 2012, Council meeting, Council directed staff to consider the options
and the appropriate placement for a war monument at Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary
and Mausoleum that would memorialize the names of all Santa Monica residents who
died serving their country. Preliminary research identified 97 Santa Monica residents
who were casualties of the many wars since Santa Monica's incorporation. It was
suggested that the commemoration could be a simple wall or a plaque that included
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these initial 97 names with room for additional names that might be identified through
additional research.
This year's Memorial Day Remembrance at Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and
Mausoleum on May 27, 2013, marks the 75th Anniversary of the event and provides the
occasion to initiate the project as well as a campaign to raise the necessary funds for
the commemoration wall. The event would provide an opportunity to display design
concepts for the proposed commemoration wall and garner support for the project.
Staff researched and identified options that would offer community access, would be
possible on a limited budget, and could be initiated before Memorial Day. Given the
limited budget considerations, staff recommends a respectful, traditional
commemoration wall listing the names of those who have died with the potential to add
more names as individuals are identified.
Funding for this project was not included in the FY 2012 -13 budget. The FY 2013 -15
budget process is underway as a maintenance of effort endeavor and no additional CIP
funding is available. The Cemetery fund has significantly reduced its reliance on the
General Fund this year, but it is still anticipating the need for some General Fund
subsidy. For these reasons, the funds for this project would be collected through a
fundraising campaign as proposed at the August 14, 2012, Council meeting.
Location 1— Mausoleum Entrance
The first location is the small lawn area
directly adjacent to the primary entrance to
the Mausoleum facing Pico Boulevard.
The area is to the west of the front door of
the Mausoleum building and is located at
the end of the southernmost entrance.
This area would be appropriate for a small
scale commemoration situated on a wall
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enhancing the decorative nature of the building and the existing stained -glass window
providing additional presence. This area was slated for development of plots in the
future; placement of a commemoration wall here would decrease the size of the area
and decrease the number of available plots to be sold depending on the final design.
The commemoration wall would increase the value of the area, which is expected to
offset the financial impact of having fewer plots to sell.
Staff recommends this location as the preferred location for the commemoration
because of the wall's presence at the main entrance to the Mausoleum, its visibility and
easy accessibility by the public at the end of the roadway into Woodlawn, and
manageable scale to accommodate the project budget.
Location 2 — Mausoleum Courtyard
The second suitable location is the
courtyard area to the east of the main
Mausoleum entrance. This area would
be appropriate for a small to medium
scale commemoration, again situated
on a wall. This area is setback from the
main entrance of the building and would
not be easily visible through the gates
along the entrance road into Woodlawn.
There are underground utilities that would need to be worked around in the design
process, but the location would not impact the development of future plots.
Next Steps
Once the location is selected, staff will develop design concepts and more refined cost
estimates. This would inform the level of effort necessary to raise funds for the
installation of the commemoration wall.
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Staff would outreach to veterans groups while concepts are being developed for input
and to generate support for the effort. Staff would return to Council with the concepts
and estimates for fund - raising purposes prior to the Memorial Day event on May 27,
2013, for further direction on a preferred scheme.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The estimated cost of a commemoration wall for Santa Monica's war dead is anticipated
to be between $7,500 and $15,000 depending on size and complexity. Funds would
need to be raised as a part of a capital campaign.
Prepared by: Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager
Susan Cline, Assistant Director of Public Works
Approved:
Karen GinsberW
Director of Community
Services
Approved:
Forwarded to Council::
Rod Gould
City Manager
Attachment: A — Possible Locations for Commemoration Wall
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