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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCDN 2018-02-27 Item 2A - Resolution - Foster Golf Course Bridge NamingTO: FROM: Rick Still, Parks & Recreation Director BY: Robert Eaton, Parks & Recreation Manager CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: February 7, 2018 SUBJECT: Foster Golf Links Bridge Naming City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM Community Development & Neighborhoods Committee ISSUE Naming of an existing bridge at the Foster Golf Links located at 13500 Interurban Avenue South BACKGROUND On August 22, 2017 the Parks & Recreation Department received a letter from the Foster Golf Links' Men's and Women's Clubs requesting the bridge located between the 11th and 16th holes at the golf course be named in honor of the longtime previous owners of the course that sold it to the city. Joe Aliment worked at the course from 1924 — 1951, when he and his wife Hazel then purchased the course. After owning and operating the course for 27 years they sold it to the City of Tukwila in 1978 rather than to developers. They wanted to preserve the green space and desired that it continue to be a place where Tukwila residents could congregate and enjoy the game of golf. !DISCUSSION City Council Resolution 1400 addresses the process for naming City property. For facilities within the Parks & Recreation Department, the names shall be recommended by the Park Commission to the Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee. The following unranked criteria is used to guide the naming decision: 1. Geographical location 2. Historical considerations 3. Names of persons 4. Geological features 5. City identity and image Where persons' names are used, they should be people who have made an outstanding contribution to the community, or whose names are of historical significance to the area, or who the City would like to recognize as an important influence in the area. The Park Commission discussed this at the November 8, 2017 meeting and voted unanimously in recommending the name "Joe and Hazel Aliment Memorial Bridge" as requested by the Foster Golf Links Men's and Women's Clubs and forwarding the recommendation to the Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee for consideration. 1 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 2 It was also discussed that along with name signage of the bridge, that additional information referencing why the bridge was named after the Aliments be included as well. FINANCIAL IMPACT Estimated expenditure is $2,000 - $4,000. RECOMMENDATION The Committee is being asked to consider naming the bridge located between the 11 th and 16th holes at Foster Golf Links, "Joe and Hazel Aliment Memorial Bridge" in honor of their outstanding and influential contribution to the City of Tukwila and forwarding to the March 26, 2018 Committee of the Whole and May 7, 2018 Regular City Council Meetings. ATTACHMENTS A. Packet from the Foster Golf Links' Men's and Women's Clubs B. Aerial Map of Foster Golf Links C. Aerial Map of Bridge D. 3D Map of Bridge E. Policies for Naming City Property - Resolution #1400 F. Draft Bridge Naming Resolution 2 W:12018 Info Memos\Bridge Naming Info Memo (2-7-17) - FINAL.doc August 22, 2017 Rick Still Director of Parks and Recreation City of Tukwila Dear Mr. Still, The Foster Golf Links Men's Club and the Foster Golf Links Women's Club would like the City of Tukwila to officially name the bridge that spans the Duwamish River between the 10th and 11th greens the "Joe and Hazel Alimerit Memorial Bridge". Joe ALiment started working at Foster GoIf Links in 1924 and cantinuecl working there until 1951 In that year, Joe and his wife Hazel purchased the course and owned it until 1978. They then sold it to the city instead of to developers with the idea that it would continue to be a place where Tukwlla residents could congregate and enjoythe game ofgolf. Joe and Hazel were generous and especially supportive of youth. To give you an idea of the type of people they were, kids in the community would go to the golf course at 5 o'clock in the morning and sweep the parking lot. Then Joe would hand out golf dubs and the kids could play golf all day. Joe anci Hazel were very involved with the community and one of their sons even became a Tukwila city council member. As a tribute to the contributions Joe and Hazel Aliment made to the Tukwila community, we are asking you to name this bridge for them. Carol Zuvela Randall Haupt President, Foster Golf Links President, Foster GoIf Links Women's Club Attachment: Seattle Timearticle, "From Duffer to Pro In the Links Business" � en's Club 4 Joe Aliment got by many hazards with a golf course near Tukwila THE task of mowing, watering and maintaining 80 acres of lawn, trees and shrubs might seem monumental to most home owners. But it is the way of life for the Aliment Family. Joe, Hazel and their two sons, Ben and Bill, who own a tidy -sized piece of recreational real-estate known as Foster Golf Links. January 1, 1951, marked the day when the Aliments called this land their own. But Joe, slightly stocky and easy going. remembers 93 years ago, when employed by George Eddy, a golf professional, he helped pioneer Foster, one or the first privately owned. publicly played, links west of the Mississippi. Joseph Foster, a government scout and packer, in 1853 homesteaded the land, on the outskirts of Seattle, near Tukwila. /1 maple wee, planted by him less than a decade after the Civil War, remains on the property and on its huge trunk is fastened a bronze memorial plaque inscribed with historical data. Eddy purchased the land from the Fos- ter heir, and young Joe Aliment, at 13, caddied for Washington's Gov. Louis F. Hart, who was first on the tee February 13, 1925, the opening day for the nine -hole golf course. Reliving high-school graduation day the same year, Aliment says; "I had gone directly from school to work. As 1 stepped off the interurban, Ed- dy wheeled a mower in front of me, and then and there promoted me from bag toter to greenskeeper." The sinewy teen-ager spent hours lug- ging a hose and wheeling a gas -powered pump to each fairway bordered by the Du- wamish River. He further recalled that this job brought him out in the "wee hours." Revealing his droll humor, he said: = "The only company I had at 3 and o'clock In the morning was the third -rail interurban that passed Foster on its run from Renton to Tacoma." in those days, some folk considered a golf course a risky business. However, it was_under the eyes of .'doubting Thom- ases" that Eddy's venture grew and. with the acquisition in 1927 of mare land across the Duwamish River, the course was ex- tended to 18 holes. At this time, the old Scottish word "links" became the fit and proper descrip- tion of Foster,as the term in the ancient language meant "the winding of a stream; also the ground adjacent." Few changes have been made in the layout of the playing area since that time and, although Foster's 5,599 yards is nor rated championship length, what it lacks in distance is compensated by the hazards imposed by the twisting waterway. Both Joe and Hazel remember Eddy affectionately. "Mr. Eddy gave us the house near the river, by the 17th tee, for a token mort- From Duffer to Pro In the Links Business By MARY A. tvliZE gage of 01." Joe says. "18 was while living in this home, in 1013, that Foster suffered a devastating hinw. 11 rained the entire month of December that year, and by Christmas Eve, the flnod- ing Duwamish River had belched unbe- lievable quantities of debris on the course. Fairways, tees and greens along its path were strewn with lags, pitted with holes and saturated with water and muck. The bridge that connected five holes of the course with the rest of civilization was threatened with destruction. Mrs. Aliment, small -framed and fastidi- ously groomed, makes "no bones" about her fright when she reminisced about the harrowing night Joe went to work on the bridge. "1 pleaded with Joe," she recalls, "that if the bridge is going to go, let it go. But no, he needed to try to help prevent the bridge from being smashed." "I kept track, of his flashlight beam, but was terrified when it disappeared abruptly. I screamed and shrieked, but no sound could be heard above the rage of the river. I was drenched and scared. There was nothing I could do, but go back to the house and wait. I tried not to think he was dead." Joe, explained his fears, saying: "I spent most of the night reaching out to hack branches and snags from logs as they swept by to keep them from collaps- ing the bridge. 1 grabbed sleep, when I could, on the roof of a shack on the Far side of the river. 1 knew my wife would be frantic, but the bridge held up all right Hcnvever, by the time we felt that it was safe, the river was threatening our house. Hazel and Benny had to be rowed to safety." The Duwamish devoured unknown acres of land that winter. Shovelingsilt, filling holes, replacing tees and replanting greens consumed weeks. Slowly the course took shape again; nevertheless, Foster was not reopened for business until the following spring, and then, for only nine holes of play. During the summer 01 1034, the ex -caddy recalls that the repair work continued and Eddy had truck loads of old auto bodies hauled in and spread along the mangled river banks. The metal wrecks were the cheapest answer to end further erosion. '-'18 only cost him 52 a load, and that price included the driver's wages," Joe says. Valley residents, for years plagued by ravaging.rivers, received permanent bene- fits from the Howard A..Hanson flood - control dam, completed in 1961. During World War Il years, .Toe under- took a 10-hera day job at a foundry, con- tinued as greenskeeper and began learn- - Joe Aliment in 1924. 5 Joo Ali mantioday. ing links management from within the clubhouse: "People continued to ploy during the war," he said. "Because the war imposed gas rationing, it was not, uncommon for a car to arrive loaded down with half a dozen undaunted golfers." Ben Aliment, now the links pro, remem- bers: "In postwar years, the golf business lagged. Things really picked up when Mr. Eisenhower was elected President. Folks that never had played before were im- pressed by his interest in the game. Tele- vision, too, helped golf. The machinery needed to maintain to- day's golf course dwarfs the rigs witli which the senior Aliment was provided in his greens -keeping days. "We have four fairway -mowing units, three greens .mowers, three heavy-duty tractors and two machines known as the 'leaf blower' and the 'leaf picker'," Ben says. "One year, we lost about 75 flags in a period of four months_ Most of them were stolen, but some were broken. We've dis- covered kids using them for fishing spears." In addition to some -50,000 -golfers that annual trek aver Foster, it is not unusual to see steelhead fishermen angling in the Duwamish and teen-agers retrieving golf balls from the water hazards. Other non-paying guests have included ducks, rabbits, squirrels, cows, horses, deer and, as recently as late 1966, a seal. which now resides at the Woodland Park Zoo: Jovial Bill Aliment. also a Foster pro and an ex -councilman of Tukwila, remem ;bens when he joined a woman in chasing a steer on the course. "The steer wheeled and ran me into the river," Bill recalled. in the clubhouse, the congeniality of all the Aliments blends with the pro and duf- fer. There golf stories mingle with tales of pars, birdies, eagles and bogies. In this atmosphere, and not withstanding the score, everyone feels like a golfer. Mary A. Mire is a Soattlo free-lance wrher- 6 Tukwila iMap 2 / 7 / 2018 9 : 30 : 56 AM Buildings City Limits 0 0.075 0 0.075 0.15 1:9,028 0.15 0.3 km Tukwila Te chn of og y SerH ces Pictometry International Corp. 2015 0.3 mi 7 City of Tukwila 8 Tukwila iMap 2 / 7 / 2018 9 : 32 : 35 AM • Addresses (Tukwila) i Buildings City Limits 1:1,128 0 0.0075 0.015 0.03 mi 0.01 0.02 0.04 km Tukwila Technology Services Pictometry International Corp. 2015 9 City of Tukwila 10 12 Washington Resolution No. %gDD A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING' POLICIES FOR NAMING CITY PROPERTY; AND REPEALING RESOLUTION 981. WHEREAS, Resolution 981 was passed in 1985 to set policies for naming City property; and WHEREAS, since 1985 the City has grown, development has increased, and Resolution 981 no longer applies as effectively as it once did; and WHEREAS, Tukwila has a rich history, an important location, and a number of individuals who have contributed to the City's development and enrichment; and WHEREAS, naming of remaining property in Tukwila should responsible and reflects a thoughtful and meaningful process; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Authority to Name City Property. be done in a fashion;. that is THE 'CITY OF A. The Tukwila City Council shall be the final authority in app owned real property. TUKWILA, oving the names of City B. New streets in the central business district and business/industrial areas shall be given grid numbered names in order to enhance quick response by public safety officials in emergencies and in order to facilitate access by the general public. C. The City's Fire Marshal will approve the names of numbered City streets. The Administration will inform the Council of these names when approved. D. The names of parks in the City shall be recommended by the Park Commission. Their recommendation will be forwarded to the Community and Parks Committee for consideration. E. In all cases other than parks and numbered streets in the central business district, the Community and Parks Committee will recommend a name or alternative names for City Council consideration and approval. Section 2. Criteria for Naming City Property. A. Named City property and facilities including streets, parks, bridges, and facilities shall use the following unranked criteria to guide their naming decision: 1. Geographical location; 2. Historical considerations; 3. Names of persons; 4. Geological features; 5. City identity and image NAMEPROP.DOC 6/11/1998 13 B. Where persons' names are used, they should be people who have made an outstanding contribution to the community, or whose names are of historical significance to the area, or who the City would like to recognize as an important influence in the area. C. When the name of City -owned real property or of a City facility is being changed, the City Council will delay a final decision for thirty (30) days after a recommendation from a Committee of the Whole is made. Section 3. Repealer. Resolution 981 is hereby repealed. PASSED BY THE CITY COU CIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, at a regular meeting thereof this /, day of �ti m 1998. Pamela Linder, Council President ATTEST/AUTHENTICATED: E. Cantu, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: By: Office o Filed with the City Clerk: I —//— 92 Passed by the City Council: / -/x=197 Resolution Nitimbi\erms//tJ0 NAMEPROP.DOC 6/11/1998 14 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKVVILA, WASHINGTON, NAMING THE BRIDGE AT FOSTER GOLF LINKS THE "JOE AND HAZEL ALIMENT MEMORIAL BRIDGE." WHEREAS, Joe Aliment began working at Foster Golf Links in 1924 and continued working there until 1951; and WHEREAS, Joe and Hazel Aliment purchased the course in 1951 and operated it until 1978; and WHEREAS, Joe and Hazel Aliment, desiring to preserve the green space and recreational opportunity the course provided, sold the course to the City of Tukwila instead of to developers with the idea that it would continue to be a place where Tukwila residents could congregate and enjoy the game of golf; and WHEREAS, Resolution No. 1400, establishing policies for naming City property, requires that facilities only be named after people who have made outstanding contributions to the community, or who the City would like to recognize as an important influence in the area; and WHEREAS, Joe and Hazel Aliment have been outstanding and influential contributors to the City of Tukwila; and WHEREAS, the City of Tukwila's Park Commission has agreed that Joe and Hazel Aliment should be honored by the naming of a City facility in their honor; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: The bridge spanning the Duwamish River between the 11th and 16th holes at Foster Golf Links is hereby named the "Joe and Hazel Aliment Memorial Bridge." W:\Word Processing\Resolutions \Aliment Memorial Bridge naming -Foster Golf 2-12-18 RE:bjs Page 1 of 2 15 PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, at a Regular Meeting thereof this day of , 2018. ATTEST/AUTHENTICATED: Christy O'Flaherty, MMC, City Clerk Verna Seal, Council President APPROVED AS TO FORM BY: Rachel B. Turpin, City Attorney 16 Filed with the City Clerk: Passed by the City Council: Resolution Number: W:\Word Processing\Resolutions\Aliment Memorial Bridge naming -Foster Golf 2-12-18 RE:bjs Page 2 of 2