The Parks and Recreation Committee met 08/25/2025. The one action item on the agenda was a request to approve the process to rename the neighborhood park on Memorial Drive just south of Memorial Bridge. This park is currently named Veterans Park but needs a new name now that Memorial Park has been renamed Veterans Memorial Park.
The renaming process proposed by city staff included a requirement that the shortlist of names put together by a review committee based on submissions from the public would adhere to the city’s Naming of Public Park Land Policy. Alderpersons Martyn Smith (District 4) and Alex Schultz (District 9) expressed a desire to consider names that did not fall within the guidelines of the policy. The name “Pride Park” was specifically mentioned. The Parks and Recreation Committee ended up unanimously voting to amend the renaming process to allow staff to consider names that did not fall within the guidelines of the city’s Naming of Public Park Land Policy.
The committee then voted unanimously to recommend the amended renaming process for approval.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
The city’s Naming of Public Park Lands policy was last updated in 1997. It requires that the naming of a park site should conform to one or more of the criteria listed below:
- The name of a significant local, state, or national historical figure that is deceased, or a significant local, state, or national historical event.
- The name of an adjacent street.
- The name of a unique geologic or geographic feature or other natural attribute that characterizes the park, e.g. a dominant tree species.
- The name of a major donor instrumental in the acquisition or development of the park.
- The commonly accepted name of the surrounding neighborhood which comprises a significant portion of the service area of the park.
- An individual who has performed an outstanding service for the community (preferably in the area of parks and recreation).
The city last went through a park naming process with Lundgaard Park and Ellen Kort Peace Park both of which adhered to the policy.
Alderperson Schultz asked if there was any room for latitude on the park naming conventions. Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Tom Flick did not think there was. That prompted the following exchange:
Alderperson Alex Schultz (District 9): I asked the question because there was a couple park names that have been floated which wouldn’t necessarily fit under these guidelines. So, I’m hoping they’d be considered even though they might not fit these guidelines.
Deputy Director Tom Flick (Parks and Rec): I don’t see any reason.
Alderperson Alex Schultz (District 9): Okay.
Deputy Director Tom Flick (Parks and Rec): I mean, there has to…must be some special names if it didn’t fall under [motions to policy].
At that point, Alderperson Smith said some people had been brainstorming parking names like “Pride Park” and that a number of the names put forward represented ideas rather than the concrete attributes laid out in the park naming policy. He stated, “Even Veterans Memorial doesn’t strike me as fitting within these categories,” and asked, “[W]ould a name that represents an idea or a concept be something that would fit that we could—that could be considered?”
Deputy Director Flick said it was not specifically listed in the policy and he did not have the right to change the policy. He thought that the committee could make a motion allowing the park name review committee to consider names outside of the policy.
Alderperson Schultz made a motion to that effect, seconded by Alderperson Smith.
Alderperson Katie Van Zeeland (District 5) asked if there was time to hold the item and actually change the naming policy. The current timeline had the renaming process being adopted in August, with public outreach and the submission period taking place in September, staff review of names and committee evaluation in October, and a final vote by Council in November. Deputy Director Flick told her the Parks and Recreation Department’s preference was to stick with that timeline.
Alderperson Van Zeeland asked if similar concept names had been proposed during the naming process of Ellen Kort Peace Park. Deputy Director Flick that after the proposal to name it for Ellen Kort had been brought forward there hadn’t been a lot of discussion because the proposal had gained so much community support.
Alderperson Van Zeeland said, “I feel uncomfortable about having to make a change on the policy on the spot. I’m interested in hearing more about the other types of naming opportunities, but I am concerned about not being fair in treating this renaming if we didn’t allow those options previously.” She wondered if it would be possible to separate out name submissions that didn’t follow the policy so that they could be vetted appropriately even though there wasn’t a policy specific to them. She wanted to get more feedback from the Parks and Recreation Department on that.
Alderperson Schultz was confident the department had the ability to vet them appropriately.
Eventually Alderperson Van Zeeland concluded, “I struggle with making it wider when we have a policy and we’re not going to change that policy, but I would be okay with empowering the Parks and Recreation Department to bring us items that come from the community that may may not fit, but may fit the space.”
The process called for the Parks and Recreation Department to put together a shortlist of 3-5 names for the Parks and Recreation Committee to review and make a recommendation to the Common Council over. Alderperson Smith asked if the Parks and Recreation Committee would see any of the names that were submitted outside of the 3-5 that were brought to the committee. Deputy Director Flick told him they would not unless they asked to see the other submissions.
The committee ended up voting 4-0 to amend the naming process to allow consideration of names that did not fit the Naming of Park Land Policy guidelines. They then voted 4-0 to recommend the amended process be approved by the Common Council.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1314382&GUID=0CAC0003-05D4-42B6-82D8-1D6EB6CBED15
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