Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Park Naming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town outlines public nomination and selection process for Sunset Road park name
Summary
Town staff proposed a two-step process — public nominations followed by a public selection from a compiled list — and the Board discussed screening inappropriate suggestions, TAPS committee involvement, and whether to use a lottery, ranking, or first-come approach; no final decision was made.
Town staff outlined a two-step public process for naming the new Sunset Road park: solicit nominations from residents and then allow citizens to select from a compiled ballot. Staff said nominations would be published for public viewing, with a screening step to remove inappropriate or explicit suggestions, and recommended that if multiple complete nominations are received the board could use a random-selection (lottery) drawing to pick among qualified applicants.
Staff flagged two practical options if the town receives multiple complete applications: (1) a timed application window followed by a lottery or (2) a first-come, first-served approach with date-stamped, complete applications brought to the board for consideration. Staff also suggested giving each application a simple identifier (number or letter) to facilitate the selection process.
Several commissioners said the TAPS committee should be involved in the process, at least to provide input or a short list; staff cautioned against giving a single committee unchecked authority to filter nominations and noted First Amendment considerations when handling public submissions. The board discussed simple survey tools versus ranked-choice ballots; one commissioner suggested a top-three ranking to simplify results while another preferred simplicity for survey respondents.
Staff said the town would coordinate PIO outreach and property-owner associations to publicize the nomination period and return with an updated process in December. Commissioners generally supported further refinement and agreed to add the item to the TAPS committee agenda for feedback before the board finalizes the schedule.
