On 08/25/2025, the Parks and Recreation Committee voted to recommend a process to the Common Council for the renaming of Veterans Park. The committee amended the process to allow Parks and Recreation staff to consider names that do not fit the city’s existing Naming of Public Park Land Policy. The name “Pride Park” was specifically mentioned by Alderperson Martyn Smith (District 4)
Alderpersons Smith and Alex Schultz (District 9) indicated they had seen a list of potential names somewhere, so I reached out to Alderperson Smith for more details about where that list was.
He responded: “Back just after we took the vote on changing the name of Veterans Memorial Park, Alderperson Nate Wolff asked what people thought we should rename Veterans Park. This was pretty informal and several people wrote in ideas. I don’t see that now on his FB page, but perhaps it is buried there in the comments on the issue? But I’m pretty certain that was the platform.” I also have not been able to find the post he remembers seeing.
He said that he remembered seeing Pride Park suggested and Alderperson Schultz remembered someone suggesting Pollinator Park.
He went on to say, “I am not now voicing support for those, but it was clear to me after looking at the 1997 criteria for naming parks that names such as those could not fit. Also, strangely, the name ‘Veterans Memorial Park’ did not fit those naming guidelines. So it seemed to me like those names and many others should be considered by Parks and Rec and not immediately ruled out.”
To Alderperson Smith’s point that Veterans Memorial Park does not fit the naming guidelines laid out in the Naming of Public Park Land Policy, that policy was approved in 1997 whereas Veterans Memorial Park was first named “Memorial Park” back in 1974. Additionally, it was mentioned during a previous Parks and Recreation Committee meeting that the Veterans Park the city is seeking to rename, received the name Veterans Park around 40 years ago which would have been prior to the current park naming policy. The recent change of the name to “Veterans Memorial Park” merely took two previously approved park names and combined them into one.
I have reached out to the Parks and Recreation Department to find out what if any park naming policy was in place during the 1970s when Memorial Park was first named Memorial Park so that it can be confirmed whether or not the name did not conform with the policy in place at the time. My question was sent on to Deputy Director Flick, but given the Labor Day holiday, I don’t know that he will be able to get back to me before the Common Council meeting on 09/03/2025 when the Veterans Park renaming process is taken up by the full Council. If/when I hear from him, I will provide an update accordingly.
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