Memorials were removed from Grover Beach park during renovation. Where did they go?
As Grover Beach starts renovations on one of its larger public parks, one piece of the city’s past is being left behind.
Memorial plaques and dedication markers honoring Grover Beach residents have been removed as part of the rehabilitation of Ramona Park, and they won’t be returning in the new version of the park.
City manager Matt Bronson said the removal of the commemorative plaques was always part of the plan at Ramona Garden Park and has been since the Master Plan for the project was approved in 2020.
In that master plan, the city decided to transition park decorations from the old plaque style to the new commemorative pavers that are being installed as a means of raising donation funding for the park — but that doesn’t mean residents who were honored with plaques won’t be represented, Bronson said.
“To acknowledge that history, the City is offering to sponsor a commemorative paver for each family that had a memorial in the park,” Bronson said. ”This allows us to honor those connections while moving forward with a design that reflects the park’s updated vision.”
Ramona Garden Park renovation to include new decor
Bronson said the city kept relatively few records on the installation of the old memorials and plaques at Ramona Garden Park.
Most of the five plaques that were removed had been installed by community members in the early 2000s, with the exception of one installed in the 2010s, he said.
“A total of five memorial plaques were removed from the park given this renovation work, and one rock that was missing a memorial plaque installed previously was also removed from the park,” Bronson said. “It’s unclear how many commemorative plaques and memorials are remaining in the park as our records of installation for these items by community members is limited.”
The five plaques were removed from areas where construction is planned, Bronson said.
“The master plan envisioned a transition from commemorative plaques/memorials placed throughout the park to consolidating such recognition to a specific area such as commemorative pavers in a walkway,” Bronson said in an email. “As part of this transition, staff would also return the plaques and memorials installed previously to their rightful owners.”
The city’s renovation of the park will cost around $4.1 million and features a new accessible playground, a band shell and amphitheater along with new restroom facilities to be constructed in two phases.
The city officially broke ground on the new park features on June 16, with the project gaining the City Council’s final approval on April 14.
Sales of commemorative pavers from the Grover Beach Community Foundation will run through October, according to former Mayor and foundation president Jeff Lee.
The commemorative pavers cost $250 for text on a 4-by-8-inch paver, or $500 for an 8-by-8-inch tan paver with text, with the option to add clip art for $25, An additional 4-by-4-inch replica tile can also be purchased for $20 with purchase of a paver, according to Polar Engraving’s website.
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 11:55 AM.
