Lake County supervisors direct staff to begin public outreach on renaming Middletown park

The Lake County Board of Supervisors on an item about Middletown Square Park directed county staff to begin public outreach and initiate the 30‑day public notice required by county policy for park renaming.

Director Ewing of the county’s Public Services department told the board the county has a formal park‑naming and renaming policy that gives the board ultimate authority, requires a 30‑day public notice and comment period, and allows any written request to trigger the process. Ewing said staff has not yet placed notices or advertisements and recommended broad outreach — online surveys, tabling at public events and meetings — to gather community input before formal noticing.

The request to consider a new name came from the Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH), which voted in May to recommend the name "Middletown Gateway Park." Linda Deel Darmes, who said she helped create MATH, told supervisors that much of the park was built by volunteers and that MATH voted for "Middletown Gateway Park" to reflect the community’s identity and historical references calling Middletown a gateway to Lake County. "I'm requesting that the board of supervisors honor the vote made at the MATH main meeting and vote in favor of renaming the park Middletown Gateway Park to reflect personality, identity, and history of Middletown," she said.

Public commenters including Roberta McIntyre and an online participant urged the board to follow the county’s formal process, noting MATH engaged multiple attendees in its deliberations. Angela Amaral, an online commenter, cautioned that "Gateway" is used in other places in Lake County and asked the board to consider that overlap when evaluating the proposal.

Board members asked staff to clarify scope and costs. Ewing said the renaming would apply to the park grounds rather than the library or senior‑center buildings on the site, and noted county maintenance would continue regardless of name. He estimated roughly 40 staff hours and suggested five outreach meetings as a typical effort; advertising and formal noticing costs are charged to the requestor under policy and were described as likely nominal. Ewing also said Quimby park improvement fees could pay for a sign if the work qualified as an improvement rather than routine maintenance.

Supervisors emphasized the value of broad outreach. Vice Chair Paiske and other board members suggested tabling at the farmers market and combining outreach with work on other nearby parks to reach more residents efficiently. A board member clarified that MATH voting members must live within the local fire district; attendees who do not meet that residency requirement may observe but cannot vote.

After discussion, the board provided direction to staff to begin a coordinated public outreach campaign with MATH and volunteers that would culminate in the formal 30‑day public notice and comment period required by county policy. Staff was also asked to explore combining outreach with other nearby park engagement where appropriate. The board did not take a formal roll‑call vote on a motion; the item concluded with staff confirming they had the direction to proceed.

The board asked staff to consult the County Librarian and Senior Center Board if any naming action might affect those buildings and to return with the formal noticing materials and a recommended timeline once outreach results indicate a preferred name or a recommended next step.