Parks Commission recommends 'Galloping Gertie' as top name for Gig Harbor Sports Complex

The Gig Harbor Parks Commission on Wednesday, April 2, recommended that the city council adopt “Galloping Gertie” as its first-choice name for the new Gig Harbor Sports Complex and “Canoe Park” as a second choice.

Commissioners said the recommendation follows review of naming criteria and public feedback and stressed they had been asked by council to reconsider the list of candidate names. The recommendation now goes to the city council, which can accept, modify or reject the commission’s picks.

The commission’s recommendation grew out of several lines of discussion. Supporters of “Galloping Gertie” said the name ties to a well-known local history lesson — the 1940s Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse that is widely shown in physics classes — and that the name is memorable to children. Supporters of “Canoe Park” noted that canoes are a physical play element already installed in the playground and that the name would reflect the park’s waterfront and environmental themes.

Commissioners and staff also discussed using separate dedications for discrete areas inside the large complex — for example, plaque dedications for athletic courts, the playground or an amphitheater — rather than assigning a single person’s name to the entire complex. Commissioners raised concerns about naming the whole park after living people or surnames that could be interpreted generically (for example, the surname “Heritage”), and several speakers urged clarity in the naming criteria and in any explanatory material provided to council.

Jennifer Harris, Parks Manager for the City of Gig Harbor, said staff had reviewed the city’s naming criteria and asked the commission to consider those standards when making a recommendation. “I quoted resolution 7 17; I didn’t provide it for you,” Harris said during the discussion, noting the commission should rely on the resolution’s criteria in preparing its recommendation to council.

Commissioner Andrew Pibotny moved the recommendation to send Galloping Gertie as the first-choice name and Canoe Park as the second choice; the motion was seconded and the chair called for the ayes. The motion passed and the commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the city council. The commission requested that staff include a brief explanatory rationale with the submittal describing the commission’s considerations — including the tribe’s earlier comment about Lushootseed naming and the presence of canoe-themed play elements — so council members have context when they vote.

Other details noted during the discussion: the YMCA holds naming rights for certain fields within the complex (the Peninsula Light Fields were cited), and commissioners acknowledged that the council could ultimately select a different name.

The council has asked for the commission’s reconsidered list; staff will prepare the recommendation package and explanatory language for council review.