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‘Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway’ dedication is Monday

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A portion of Interstate 15 will be renamed the “Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway” during a ceremony to be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the MTS parking structure in Sabre Springs.

A new freeway sign will be unveiled in the presence of members of Gwynn’s family, Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, county Supervisor Ron Roberts and CalTrans District 11 Director Laurie Berman.

The designation will affect the portion of I-15 between Scripps Poway Parkway and Camino del Norte.

The ceremony will be held on the top floor of the parking structure, at 13538 Sabre Springs Parkway.

Gwynn, 54, died on June 14, 2014 following a battle with cancer. A longtime Poway resident, he played as a Padre for 20 years after making his first appearance for the club in 1982. He retired with a .338 batting average and over 3,141 hits in 2,400 games. Gwynn was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 2001, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2007.

Off the field, Gwynn established the Tony and Alicia Gwynn foundation alongside his wife to create and support programs that enhance opportunities for children.

Another tribute to Gwynn will be a yet-to-be designed monument near the Lake Poway ball field. Earlier this month the Poway City Council agreed to hire Artful Living to coordinate the project, including recruitment of interested artists and taking the necessary steps to have the monument created. The council voted 4-1, with Councilman John Mullin opposed, to allocate $10,000 toward the estimated total contract cost of $29,529. Mullin said he supports having a Gwynn memorial but opposed hiring outside help to complete the task.

Councilmembers said they’d like to see the Poway monument to Gwynn completed before the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, to be held July 12 at Petco Park.

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