The fate of downtown Glendale’s more than 100-year-old Murphy Park — and its more than 100 trees — is stirring emotions as the city’s upcoming $70 million downtown renovation approaches.
Earlier this year the city council approved the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project, which calls for major renovations to city hall, the adjoining E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheater and parking garage, council chambers, and Murphy Park. A preliminary timetable for construction had set renovations to start later this year with an expected completion of March 2025.
The project was approved unanimously by city council, and many downtown business owners agree upgrades and modernizations are necessary, particularly for a city hall building dating to 1984.
More specifically, however, it’s the purported plans to spend $4.5 million to renovate downtown’s centerpiece, Murphy Park, that is causing discord. Downtown businesses for whom the park is an essential aspect of their history are troubled by plans they’ve heard to this point. The city, meanwhile, is expected to present its finalized redevelopment plans during a council workshop at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, in council chambers.
“Whenever you have people talk about parks and trees, it incites people’s passion around ‘Wait a minute, what’s going on?’” said Robert Heidt, president and CEO of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 1,400 members and the office of which is separated from city hall by Murphy Park.
DOWNTOWN CHANGES
William J. Murphy founded Glendale in February 1892, and records refer to the site as “Glendale” as early as 1885, according to the city’s history. In 1909, Murphy donated the park in the center of downtown Glendale to the city, and according to the plaque on that site in his honor “made the townspeople promise to keep the square block as a park.” He died 14 years later at age 83.
This isn’t the first time Murphy Park — or downtown — has been up for renovation considerations.
“We’ve been trying to do this renovation of downtown for decades,” said Yvonne Knaack, who served as a council member and vice mayor from 2007 to 2014.
Knaack is a downtown property owner and has been involved in Glendale for 52 years. Today she’s part of a grassroots coalition called “Save Murphy Park” to fight the proposed park changes.
“Everything, from 43rd Avenue to 67th, from Myrtle to Lamar. This is kind of the center of Glendale, so we’ve been trying to do this for years,” she said.
In 2002, council adopted the Glendale City Center Master Plan, in which one of the Murphy Park upgrade options was to remove the Velma Teague Library from Murphy Park to add “an increased hardscape central focal point and special paving and planting areas” to increase its ability to accommodate major celebrations, according to the plan. That didn’t happen, and the library, which has stood since 1971 on the spot of the former original city library dating back to 1938, remains in Murphy Park today.
Many of the park’s surrounding trees also have a long history. For 27 years, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Glendale as a “Tree City USA.”
In 2021, the city commissioned West Coast Arborists Inc. to conduct a health assessment on Murphy Park’s trees. The study showed 38 of the 91 trees (not including the 21 palms) to be in “fair to poor condition,” and recommendations include the “removal of nine diseased and declining trees and three stumps to reduce risk of tree failures, increase public safety, and improve park aesthetics.”
The trees recommended for removal were mostly ash trees, plus a chitalpa, two ficus trees, and a cottonwood.
The report notes the park originally was flood irrigated before it was converted to sprinkler irrigation for the turf. The city says this transition took place in 2005, although what prompted that change isn’t clear 17 years later.
Rebecca Senior is an International Society of Arboculture-certified arborist and an assistant in extension in ornamental horticulture with the University of Arizona. While Senior has not assessed Murphy Park, she says “flood irrigation is tree heaven,” and advises mature trees in a public park setting with grass should get water three feet into the soil.
“When assessing a declining large tree, the first question is what has changed in the environment because the tree got to the age and size supported by resources,” she said. “Many things reduce the essential resource of water.”
‘A DIVIDE’
The upcoming Murphy Park renovations likely will include removal of some trees if the city follows the recommendations regarding tree health. Whether or not other trees will be removed is the question on some downtown business owners’ minds.
But it wasn’t just a health assessment suggesting some trees might come down. At a meeting between downtown merchants and Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps, some business owners say a preliminary depiction of a rendering showing how Murphy Park could look after the renovation appeared to show more new concrete and fewer trees than currently exist.
“What was really shocking to many people was a rendition of Murphy Park that was very xeriscape looking, which is very much opposite what we all grew up with, what is the heart and soul of our community, which is great trees, great grass, a community place that has held Glendale Glitters for nearly 30 years,” said Lorraine Zomok, a 50-year Glendale resident, former tourism division city employee, current owner of Memory Lane Trinkets and Treasures downtown and president of the Historic Downtown Glendale Merchants Association, which includes 25 downtown business partners. “All those things that occurred because of this beautiful park.”
Xeriscape is a landscape style requiring little or no irrigation or other maintenance. It’s found in arid regions.
Another downtown business owner, Danea Mensi of the family-owned Glendale Flowers & Gifts, attended the meeting. She, too, had questions about the conceptual design.
“The city manager was not very receptive to the community that was asking him questions,” Mensi said. “He seemed to get really frustrated and very ‘It’s my way or we’re not doing anything.’ Which is kind of disheartening for some people.”
She added there was one consistent concern that came up.
“Most [questions] were about the trees. Like ‘What’s going on with the trees?’, ‘Why are you taking them out?’ People were just asking questions, like normal questions that you would ask any city official,” she said. “He was just kind of like avoiding the whole thing.”
Heidt characterizes project details coming from city hall to downtown merchants as confusing.
“It’s been misinformation,” he said.
Adding to the questions about committing to Murphy Park was the city’s move to reallocate federal money designated for the park.
Glendale’s initial strategy to use community development block grant (CDBG) money included among its 2020-21 plans $172,345 targeted for “Murphy Park irrigation replacement.” The city’s Substantial Annual Action Plan Amendment, the next year, shows that money was reallocated, which the city is allowed to do.
“The city of Glendale will reprogram $442,193.36 ($281,668.11 from FY 2019-20 and $160,525.25 from FY 2020-21) in annual entitlement CDBG funds to a new activity called housing stabilization services,” the amendment spells out.
Those services may include, but are not limited to, rent and utility assistance; application fees; credit reports; financial incentives to landlords; transportation services to clients; hotel vouchers; basic necessities; case management services; and others.
“The purpose of this activity is to provide the city with a flexible option to assist clients, most of whom are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness,” the report notes.
Heidt says some downtown business owners view the mixed messages as a city effort to neglect the trees and traditional look of Murphy Park.
“I think that’s on the minds of downtown,” he said. “They’ve been misled on a few things, and it’s got a divide down here.”
CITY RESPONSE
For its part, the city is pointing to the upcoming Aug. 9 workshop to share specifics for the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project, including specific construction timelines as well as plans for Murphy Park and the trees.
The city on its official website, under a page devoted to Mayor Jerry Weiers, released a sample of questions and answers similar in style to a frequently-asked-questions approach. The four answers posted include:
“Murphy Park is an important historical asset to everyone in the city and is not in danger of needing to be saved or protected despite what you may have heard. The truth is, the city intends to reinvest in the park so that we can ensure it is healthy and accessible for many generations to come.”
“The city continues to water the trees and landscaping in Murphy Park. In 2005, the city stopped using flood irrigation to water the park. Instead, it was replaced by a traditional sprinkler irrigation system.”
“The city hired an arborist to provide a detailed assessment of the health of the tress in Murphy Park. There are a number of trees that are diseased in the park and must be removed. There is no intention to get rid of all the trees and replace them with xeriscape or other desert landscaping. It is expected the healthy trees will remain in the park and continue to be decorated with traditional holiday lights.”
“The overall project is in the very beginning stages, and the process of designing the project, including Murphy Park, has not formally started. The concerns that have been raised are based on an artist’s conceptual drawing that staff used in a city council workshop presentation regarding only the project’s financing. The city’s project team is currently working with the contracted architect to develop a process that will include community feedback.”
Phelps deferred questions for this story to the upcoming workshop and thereafter.
PRESERVING HISTORY
Recent events have led to some residents and businesses scrutinizing the messages from city hall regarding older, historic properties.
In 2019, the city considered selling the historical Glendale Memorial Park Cemetery, on the southwest corner of 61st and Northern Avenues, which has been the final resting spot for generations of family members since 1895 and was donated to the city by settlers. The potential buyer eventually opted out.
In 2020, the city in a controversial move sold the publicly owned Glen Lakes Golf Course, which had been the centerpiece for an older neighborhood for 54 years, in favor of a new development of 173 homes on its more than 42 acres, which uprooted open space.
The city recently stopped stringing Christmas lights in Glendale’s Old Towne District and Historic Catlin Court Retail District, which features early and mid-century bungalows and National Register buildings. The district organized to string their own lights among the 160 trees, along with electrical supplied by the city.
Last year a coalition of Catlin Court residents and business owners sued the city for allegedly not enforcing rules established in the 1990s to help the historic downtown area flourish.
And the city last year ended the 27-year Glendale Glitters; a downtown Christmas event popular with West Valley residents. The city cut Glitters funding in 2018 and 2019, and then reduced the festival to only holiday lights amid COVID gathering concerns — a move that has become permanent as the city pivots toward smaller similar events.
The large downtown renovation plans starting this year, including the changes to Murphy Park, come after these recent dealings.
“There’s a sting right now. There’s heightened sensitivities down here around everything and anything,” Heidt said. “There’s a lot of skepticism when dealing with city hall in a lot of our downtown merchants.”
Many merchants will be paying close attention to updated Murphy Park plans the city will offer next week.
“I’m hoping that I can keep my flower shop down here for as long as we can,” said Mensi, a younger downtown business owner who represents a next generation of local merchants. Her family bought Glendale Flowers & Gifts in 2015, and the shop has been in the downtown area since 1939. “But if it goes to a certain extent where they’re turning everything into concrete, I’m probably not going to stay.”
Merchants understand the need to update municipal buildings involved in the upcoming renovation work, but are firm in protecting and preserving the historical Murphy Park.
“It’s critically important that Murphy Park retains its history, culture, fauna and flora. All of us age and can use a botox injection. And it would be great to get new underground electrical to support some of the big events and festivals that come to the park,” Zomok said.
Not only is their shop downtown, she and her husband live just a couple blocks from downtown.
“Our house was built in 1918, and you think about the number 1918 and a dash [1918-]. We’re part of that dash right now,” she said. “It’s that dash that’s important. We’re now a part of a dash of this Murphy Park that started 100 years ago.”
Steve Stockmar News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment
YourValley.net @stevestockmar
Meet Steve Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.
Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.
Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.
Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.
Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.
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