Brandon Vang’s bland plan to name a new park Southeast Fresno Sports Complex won approval from his Fresno City Council colleagues Thursday on a 6-1 vote.

The park — on Peach Avenue north of Church Avenue — is set to open next year. Miguel Arias voted no.

“This is more than just a name today and in the future. It is a sign that southeast Fresno has arrived,” Vang said. “Southeast Fresno Sports Complex is the correct and appropriate name to name this venue.”

Vang said amenities in the park — a bench, a field, a playground — will be named to honor community members. There was debate, with no conclusion, whether such honors will need a full council vote.

The city received 110 written comments on the park’s name, with 99 in favor of calling it the Southeast Fresno Sports Complex. But some residents addressed the council to ask for a different name.

Jose Leon Barraza asked the city to recognize the community, for all the work it put in to plan and prepare the park.

Several others — including Sanger Mayor Frank Gonzalez — spoke in favor of naming the park for Leon Barraza, founder of the nonprofit Southeast Fresno Community Economic Development Association.

“They were looking to keep this park vision alive,” Gonzalez said. “What he did was basically pick up the baton and keep running with this vision. He should be recognized for doing so.”

Council President Mike Karbassi was wary of naming a park after a person, “unless they met some kind of bar,” like Mayor Jerry Dyer, whom the city named a firing range after.

“It’s hard to choose a name and not offend a large group of people,” Karbassi said.

Arias removed the item for a full discussion. Karbassi motioned to return it to the consent agenda. While the vote was 3-2 — Annalisa Perea was absent and Vang abstained — it needed four votes to pass.

Council Approves New Police HQ

The city council approved leasing a new building to house the Fresno police headquarters.

By a 7-0 vote on the consent calendar, the city will lease the building — across Mariposa Plaza from the current HQ — from River Park Properties III, a Ed Kashian-owned development. Starting next year, rent will be $1.3 million a year, with 10% increases every five years. After the 21-year lease, the city can purchase the building for $1.

The total cost of the rent will be $30 million.

Several police officers and staff spoke on behalf of the new headquarters.

Sgt. Amanda Galaviz said a new building is needed because of asbestos and poor HVAC and electrical systems.

“It’s something our employees need, not just for a better building, but for our overall health,” Galaviz said.

While the exterior looks modern, the inside is an empty shell. Earlier this week, Chief Mindy Casto said it could take a year to plan and renovate, with an approximate cost of $12 million. It would be funded through bonds.

The building used to serve as a Fresno County Human Services System facility.

Arias Questions Funding Method

In a separate, but related, item to bonding for city projects, Arias questioned the funding method for the new building and the city’s bonding capacity.

“What is the time-sensitive nature of us going to bond today? Is the police headquarters going to fall apart?” Arias asked.

Dyer cited the need to renovate, which could cost more than $7 million to fix things like the HVAC and electrical systems.

“Do we want to continue to put money into an old building that continues to break down, or go this different direction? That’s when we started negotiations,” Dyer said.

Karbassi also supported new facilities.

“We can treat our law enforcement better, and if we can’t, shame on us,” Karbassi said.

Arias also floated the idea that if the city bonds for police and fire facilities, it should consider doing the same for community centers.

Other Council Notes

City staff removed an item rezoning an area in south Fresno for a new trucking facility. The item will return Sept. 11.

Central Transport is being displaced because of the High-Speed Rail project, and wants to move to S. Cherry Avenue, between E. North and E. Central Avenues.

Several spoke against, including Terry Hirschfield, superintendent of the Orange Center School District, and its lone elementary school near the proposed rezone.

“Our community is already overburdened. We are in one of the most polluted areas of California and the nation,” she said. “Adding more trucks will make this worse.”

The city council voted 7-0 to reject three companies that wanted a contract to operate the Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center — which includes Selland Arena and the convention center.

A staff report said that two of the companies — ATG Entertainment, and The Sport Facilities Company — did not have the right kind of experience.

Current operator ASM Global “represented a status-quo operating model whereas it was communicated to each vendor that the City is looking for a more vibrant, utilized, and well-connected convention center operation.”

The current contract expires Dec. 31. The decision will not affect currently scheduled shows.

Councilmember Perea withdrew an appeal that denied A’s Family Market at 2717 N. Hughes Ave. a permit to sell beer and wine. Perea said the market will work with city staff to comply with municipal regulations and resubmit an application.

“Therefore, my appeal is no longer needed. They’re going to kind of hit a refresh button and go back through the process and put forth an application to help them with near-term and long-term success of their operation,” Perea said.

The council approved the removal by a 7-0 vote.

Dyer, Perea and Arias mentioned the late airports director Henry Thompson during their reports. Arias is considering recognizing Thompson when the new airport terminal opens later this year. Thompson died last month unexpectedly while vacationing in Las Vegas.