By Tai Babilonia and Bill White
Re “First Step Taken to Change Status of Ice Arena”
[Editor’s Note: Leaders of the Culver Ice Foundation thank the Cultural Affairs Commission for last week’s unanimous vote in support of “significant” historic preservation status for the Culver City Ice Arena.]
Dear Marla Koosed, chair, and Cultural Affairs Commission members:
We want to thank you for acknowledging our previous correspondence in support of the ARG historic evaluation of the ice rink.
We are extremely pleased that the Cultural Affairs Commission, after thorough study, based on the professional recommendations of ARG and the Culver City Community Development Dept., voted unanimously to support the “significant” historic cultural resource designation. This is great news.
It is our hope that your Commission will not only move this issue before the City Council in the near future but also explain to the City Council the methodology utilized in guiding your action in voting to make this significant historic designation. We believe, as your Commission was advised in your deliberations by the Community Development Dept., that there needs to be a focus by the City Council directly on the municipal code, the research conducted, the historical criteria used in making the significant determination, the recommendation of the experts, ARG, and the recommendation of the Community Development Dept. This is how the vote was determined. Thank you for this thorough, well-researched work.
The future of the rink is a completely separate issue from the community’s laws to designate its historic resources. If the law or the criteria are not appropriate for historic preservation, this seems to be a different issue from your vote and recommendation. We hope all, as your Commission did, can stay focused on the criteria for the determination.
We want to again thank each of you for your service on the Commission to benefit the community.
Ms. Babilonia is chairwoman, Mr. White president and CEO of the Culver Ice Foundation. They may be contacted at www.culvericefoundation.org.
