The District Three representative on the Seal Beach City Council said the council has not approved installation of exercise stations on the public right-of-way known as the Electric Avenue Greenbelt.
During the Council Comments segment of the Monday, Oct. 28 meeting, Councilman Gordon Shanks—who represents the Hill, Coves, Bridgeport and Heron Pointe—said there was some confusion about the installation of exercise stations on the Greenbelt.
“There’s nothing to get excited about,” Shanks said.
He said a project to install exercise stations on the Greenbelt would have to go before the Recreation and Parks Commission and then to the City Council before any decision was made.
In fact, no city construction project can take place without prior approval of the council.
District One Councilwoman Ellery Deaton told the Sun that City Hall had received a lot of angry phone calls from residents following the publication of the Sun’s article about the possible exercise station project in the newspaper’s Thursday, Oct. 24 edition.
Deaton said the photograph that accompanied the story showed exercise stations that were nothing like the one that the city was considering.
Deaton said a photo can color the public’s perception of the issue.
The photograph in question showed exercise stations in another city.
The Parks Commission was scheduled to discuss the proposed Greenbelt project at the commission’s Oct. 23 meeting, but the commission was not able to achieve quorum so nothing was discussed. The Parks Commission is expected to look at the exercise station proposal on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
As the Sun reported last week, contractors have until Thursday, Nov. 7, to bid on the Seal Beach Greenbelt Fitness Stations Project.
Tim Kelsey, recreation manager for the Seal Beach Community Services (recreation) Department, said if the Parks Commission OKs the proposal, then the outdoor exercise station project will go to the City Council for approval.
At this time, staff is proposing that six stations be installed on the Greenbelt to serve as a pilot program to determine if the exercise stations are actually used.
