Huntersville names new Fire Station No. 4 park ‘First Responders Park’ after public input and debate

The Huntersville Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 5 to name the new park at Fire Station No. 4 “First Responders Park,” after a period of public comment and debate over whether to name the park for a single individual. Michael Jaycox, Parks and Recreation staff, told the board the department ran an open‑ended survey that produced 345 responses and a range of suggested names; Jeff Hager, a firefighter who died in the line of duty, was the most‑mentioned individual. Jaycox told commissioners the town’s park‑naming policy discourages naming parks after people but permits it in certain circumstances and noted only one town park had been officially named for an individual since the policy’s adoption in 2003. Several residents asked the board to name the park for Hager. Gatewood Campbell, speaking on behalf of Stacy Walker, said, “Please give them this gift. Give them somewhere that they can go and smile,” and urged the board not to support a motion on the budget that she said would prevent honoring Hager. Dan Boone, another resident, argued naming the park for Hager would reflect community values about sacrifice. Several board members and the fire chief urged a broader approach. Chief Detoli proposed naming it First Responders Park to honor police, fire and emergency medical personnel and suggested placing memorials within the park for individuals. Commissioner Walsh said the chief’s suggestion “incorporates the spirit of what [the Parks and Recreation Commission] wanted” and compared it to Veterans Park, which honors a group rather than a single person. The board asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to return with specific proposals for how to memorialize individuals within the park — for example benches, bricks, plaques or painting a name on a fire truck — and to prepare those options in about a month. The motion to name the park First Responders Park passed unanimously.