Remembrance Poppy approved for Central Park in San Mateo

The City Council was unanimously in favor of the design and moving forward with funding. San Mateo Councilwoman Diane Papan said the memorial shows the community wants to remember and honor those who sacrificed for the country. She and the advisory committee thought the design best symbolized the respect for the military and first responders.

“The committee really came together when we saw this design because not only are we trying to do something where we remember folks, but we are actually using the symbol of remembrance to remember folks. It was a great synergy for those two things to come together,” Papan said.

San Mateo Deputy Mayor Eric Rodriguez said he liked the balance of the reverence and the design’s symbolism while also being inviting and beautiful for kids to be around. The exact location would be between the rose garden and the main lawn area, in a shaded area that also has shrubbery, an old utility building and some seating.

“This is a prime location in the park, but it is underused,” Rodriguez said. It will just provide another thing of interest for the little kids running around; it will be a neat game. But for adults, it will be a beautiful symbol of what it’s standing for, so I really like it.”

San Mateo Councilman Rick Bonilla said he liked the design, the piece’s location and the stainless steel materials used for the poppy.

“I look forward to seeing this; it will be a great addition to the park,” Bonilla said.

Members of the public at the City Council meeting also expressed their support for the memorial area and design.

The council had a choice between the Remembrance Poppy design and several student submissions from the College of San Mateo before picking the Remembrance Poppy due to its symbolism and history.

Then councilwoman Maureen Freschet formed an advisory committee in 2018 with other city officials to decide on a Central Park Memorial design. Freschet said the committee was looking for something unique with symbolism that could fit within a garden setting at the park. The project will cost around $240,000 and would be raised through community fundraising, according to the city. San Mateo Parks and Recreation would be the department responsible for paying design cost and construction when funding is secured. Freschet is confident the committee will find ways to raise money for the construction based on the community’s interest. She said now that the City Council approved the design and project, she will begin developing a fundraising plan and outreach strategy. She expects to see lots of veteran and community support.

“I would say, so far, I have done a lot of talking to businesses and community leaders and others, and there is a lot of interest from people to support this,” Freschet said.

“It may be premature for us to really come up with any kind of dollar figure, except that we are very interested in making sure that this gets done, and we do it sooner than later,” San Mateo Mayor Joe Goethals said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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