Appleton committee approves Veterans Park renaming process, allows broader name suggestions

The Appleton City Parks and Recreation Committee on Aug. 25 approved a process to solicit public input and recommend names for Veterans Park, and it amended the staff proposal to allow consideration of suggested names or concepts that do not strictly fit the city’s current naming policy.

The committee vote was 4 to 0. Committee members adopted the timeline proposed by Parks staff and approved an amendment to the renaming process to permit Parks and Recreation and legal staff to consider “ideas and concepts that don't technically fall within the naming of parkland's policy,” as the amendment was described during the meeting.

Deputy Director Flick told the committee the department would run a public outreach campaign, accept submissions and then present three to five recommended names to the committee for its review; the committee would then forward its recommendation to the full council for a final decision. Flick said the department prefers to follow the existing timeline and policy language while carrying out that process.

Committee members spent much of the discussion on whether the 1997 naming policy’s six criteria would exclude concept-based names, such as Pride Park or names characterizing a community value. Alder Schultz moved to allow consideration of names that fall outside the six stated guidelines; that motion was seconded and the amendment passed 4 to 0 before the committee approved the amended renaming process.

Attorney Barens clarified that the action before the committee was approval of the renaming process rather than a formal revision to the naming policy itself. Several members urged that Parks staff still apply the existing policy as guidance while also vetting concept-based suggestions so the department and committee could avoid frivolous or inappropriate proposals.

Committee members asked that outreach include the neighborhood represented by the alderperson covering the park and that Parks provide the committee with a narrowed list of options rather than every submission. Deputy Director Flick reiterated staff would perform an initial review and return a short list of names for committee consideration. Flick also said past park naming work — the most recent named example cited was Ellen Court Peace Park — did not involve the same degree of debate because it had strong community support.

The committee recorded the action as approved 4-0. The minutes and the approved renaming process will become part of the public record for the committee’s next actions on the Veterans Park naming effort.