HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.B. Call for Park Naming-Leading Feather and Ambassador Park Naming Applications-Res. No. 6651
J-Z.8 -.
CITY OF SHAKOPEE
Memorandum
To: City Council, Mayor, City Administrator
From: Andrea Weber, Park and Recreation Landscape Design
Subject: Call for Park Naming-Leading Feather and Ambassador Park Naming
Applications, Resolution No. 6651
Date: Ser:>tember 4, 2007
INTRODUCTION
This item is to request City Council Action of two park naming applications received during
the Citywide Call for Park Names.
The City Council is also asked to accept a recommendation and offer Resolution No. 6651,
A Resolution naming Ambassador Neighborhood Park.
BACKGROUND
A citywide "Call for Park Names" has been posted on the city website, press releases have
been sent out, and it has been written about in the Southwest Saturday column of the Valley
News. Two applic~tions have been received. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
reviewed the two park name applications at their August 2th meeting and has provided their
recommendations to the City Council.
The parks which need names include
. Blakewood Estates (Church Addition) (Rymark Court)
. Countryside Northeast (Ardennes Ave.)
. Countryside Northwest (Hackney Ave.)
. Countryside Southwest (Caspian Lane)
. Glacier Estates (Portage Lane East)
. Greenfield West (Independence and Crane)
. Providence Westchester (1 th Ave and Valley View)
. Savannah Oaks (Oxford Rd. North)
. Valley Creek Crossing (Evergreen Lane)
Due to the low number of applications, several actions will be taken to try to identify more
names. The park naming deadline for the public has been extended (indefinitely). In
addition, the Advisory Board has selected two members (Mayberry and Mars) to work with
staff to try to identify more names with assistance of the Historical Preservation Advisory
Commission and lor Historical Society as well as trying some grade level contests in the
school district if they are interested in working with us on this.
A more completed description of the applications is included in the PRAB memo, which is
attached, along with copies of the applications.
PRAB Recommendation on Application A -Leadina Feather Park
This application, in honor of a member of the Red Lake Nation, Giles Hart, who was a
cultural leader, well respected for working to end alcohol abuse. The application indicated
that Mr. Hart had statewide significance by having a day named in his honor by then
Governor Arne Carlson, who proclaimed September 8, 1998 Giles Hart Day. The
proclamation of this date has been confirmed by staff. Mr. Hart, Leading Feather, has
several direct descendants living in Shakopee (one of whom submitted the application) but
he was not born in and did not ever reside in Shakopee himself, according to the applicant.
The Guidelines st~te:
c. Names to commemorate persons who have made significant contributions to Shakopee parks system,
(with the permission of the honoree, or immediate family or designated representative, if any). Names to
commemorate other local born or raised [emphasis added] persons of historic, statewide or national
importance may be considered without a park association.
The Advisory board also discussed whether this park name might fit under a different
guideline as a cultural idea, excerpted below:
B. Names of historic places, events and cultural ideas and names using Dakota language or concepts
shall be appropriate to the site and proposed use, and should follow standard current spelling of the Dakota
language.
Their recommendation was that because "Leading Feather" was a direct translation of the
honoree's Ojibwe name, Niigan Miigwan, it was not therefore a cultural idea alone and did
not fit the guidelines. The Advisory Board declined to recommend this application.
PRAB Recommendation on Application B-Ambassador Park
This application seeks to name a park "Ambassador Park" in honor of the volunteer group,
Miss Shakopee Ambassadors, which has contributed to the City of Shakopee as a
community service organization for young women and girls since 1929 (with a few breaks).
This application is applied somewhat similarly to a donor naming, which is done on a case
by case basis. The donation is not a specific monetary amount, rather it is in reference to
their community work as a donation of time. The applicant also stated at the meeting and to
staff, that she would like to work with staff on how the naming could be recognized in the
park using signage, plaques, or donated plantings or trees which the group could do
(ongoing) fundraising for. They are also interested in taking on some volunteer ownership of
the park by possibly weeding planting beds and being involved with regular clean ups of the
park. These activities could offset some costs of the park maintenance and materials in the
future. The Guidelines on Donor naming are below:
B. Donor Naming may be considered on a case by case basis. Donor naming agreements
may [emphasis added] include provisions for ongoing and special maintenance costs, such as
the renovation of a facility. Donor naming may also have specific terms for discontinuation
or termination and shall be adopted by City Council resolution.
This application, as discussed by the Advisory Board, also could fit as "persons with historic
significance", given that the group has been a part of the civic life of Shakopee since 1929.
This fits the policy under 1. a. definitions of unique, meaningful and inclusive:
. Meaningful. Names may reference natural features or landmarks, local historic events or
persons with historic significance, locally or nationally.
The Advisory Board also discussed with the applicant which park would be preferred for this
name. Since the group primarily serves high school ages, one of the parks near the new
High School was suggested. Since Countryside NE park is directly to the north of the
School, and is the largest of the Countryside parks, it was selected as the preferred park. If
Council concurs, the name of Countryside Northeast Park would then be officially adopted
as Ambassador Neighborhood Park.
RELATIONSHIP TO VISION
C. Great Place for Kids to Grow Up
REQUESTED ACTION
1. Offer Resolution No. 6651, A Resolution of the City of Shakopee, Minnesota Naming
the "Ambassador Neighborhood Park," formerly known as Countryside Northeast
(located at 101 Ardennes Avenue near the intersection with Shire Street), and direct
staff to work with the Miss Shakopee Ambassadors Program to identify how the park
name shall be documented in the park site with use of signage and other means.
2. Direct Staffito prepare a resolution naming Leading Feather Park (or other alternate
name related to the application), and indicate which park shall be named as such.
3. Deny both park name applications, or
4. Table action on either or both park names and direct staff to return with additional
requested information.
RESOLUTION NO. 6651
A REJOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA
NAMING AMBASSADOR NEIGHBORHOOD PARK
WHEREAS, on February 7,2007, the City Council adopted Resolution No.
6174, which established procedure officially adopting park names; and
WHEREAp, Resolution No. 6174 specifies that park names shall be adopted
by City Council Resolution; and
WHEREAS, there has been an application to name the Countryside Addition
Northeast Park, Ipcated at 101 Ardennes Avenue, near the intersection of Shire
Street in honor OT the Miss Shakopee Ambassador's Program, by virtue of their
donation of time spent performing community service; and
WHEREAS, the Mis,S Shakopee Ambassador's Program, by virtue of their historic
significance, is a group which has represented Shakopee since 1929; and
WHEREAS, such a naming is consistent with the Naming Policy Naming
Guidelines, Part 1 , A., allowing names in reference to donations to Shakopee Parks,
as well as Nami~g Policy Guidelines, Part 1. B., fitting the definition of "meaningful"
regarding their historic presence serving the City of Shakopee.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA, that the park formerly called Countryside
Addition Northeast Park, located at 101 Ardennes Avenue, be named Ambassador
Neighborhood Park.
Adopted in the regular session of the City Council of the City of Shakopee,
Minnesota held this 4th day of September, 2007.
John J. Schmitt
Mayor of the City of Shakopee
ATTEST:
City Clerk
CITY OF SHAKOPEE
Memorandum
To: Park and Recreation Advisory Board
From: Andrea Weber, Park and Recreation Landscape Design
Subject: Call, for Park Naming-Update
Date: August 27, 2007
INTRODUCTION
This is an update on the citywide "Call for Park Names" for recently completed, un-named
city parks.
BACKGROUND
At the June 25th meeting of the Advisory Board, opening a citywide "Call for Park Names"
was recommended in order to begin the park naming process for recently completed parks
which do not yet have official names in preparation for the park signage project to begin
next year.
The call for Park names was posted on the city website, press releases were sent out, and
it was advertised in the Shakopee Valley News, as well as written about in the Southwest
Saturday column of the Valley News. Only two applications have been received.
The parks, which currently are temporarily named for their developments, include the
following:
. Blakewood Estates (Church Addition) (Rymark Court)
. Countryside Northeast (Ardennes Ave.)
. Countryside Northwest (Hackney Ave.)
. Countryside Southwest (Caspian Lane)
. Glacier Estates (Portage Lane East)
. Greenfield West (Independence and Crane)
. Providence Westchester (1 yth Ave and Valley View)
. Savannah Oaks (Oxford Rd. North)
. Valley Creek Crossing (Evergreen Lane)
Application A -Leadina Feather Park
This application, attached, is a reference to a respected Native American leader Giles Hart,
whose Ojibwe name was Niigan Miigwan, which translates to Leading Feather. Leading
Feather was a resident of Red Lake, MN. He was very involved in the Red Lake Nation and
was a strong positive example in the community for prevention of chemical dependency and
abstaining from alcohol use. He has also been honored by the state of MN with a day
named in his honor by then Governor, Arne Carlson, who proclaimed September 8, 1998
Giles Hart Day. A copy of the proclamation has been requested from the Secretary of State.
He passed away in Minneapolis on May 8th 2004 at the age of 63. Several of his direct
relatives currently live in Shakopee: son, Scott Knudson, grandson, Bailey Knudson, and
granddaughter, Lauren Knudson, who is the applicant, Michele Tousley's, daughter.
Relationship to the naminQ policv: The naming policy allows names in honor of local
persons who have statewide importance. The guidelines are included below:
C. Names to commemorate persons who have made significant contributions to Shakopee parks system,
(with the permissi()n of the honoree, or immediate family or designated representative, if any). Names to
commemorate other local born or raised persons of historic, statewide or national importance may be
considered without a park association. [emphasis added].
Though he was not a local resident or contributor to Shakopee Parks, several direct family
members reside inShakopee. If Leading Feather is determined to have statewide
significance, this application could be considered to meet the naming guidelines. If this were
recommended by the Board, the guidelines also refer to native American words but only in
reference to the Dakota language, this guideline could reasonably be transferred to other
native languages.
B. Names of historic places, events and cultural ideas and names using Dakota language or concepts
shall be appropriate to the site and proposed use, and should follow standard current spelling ofthe Dakota
language.
The park name could therefore be recommended as one of the following:
. Niigan Miigwan (classification) Park or
. Leading Feather (classification) Park or
. Giles Hart (classification) Park
A specific park site. was not identified in the application. One of the un-named parks closest
to a relative living in Shakopee could be selected (who live at Riva Ridge Apts. and
Timberland Valley Apts.). Alternately, since Leading Feather was a community figure
working against alcohol abuse, it might be appropriate to name one of the parks closest to
the new high school in his honor (Countryside NE, NW, SW or Providence Westchester) if
the board chooses.
Application B-Ambassador Park
Dawn Gleason, a parent volunteer of the Miss Shakopee Ambassadors Program, submitted
this application, attached. The application seeks to name a park "Ambassador Park" in
honor of the volunteer group, which has contributed to the City of Shakopee in many ways.
The program has served the community from 1929-85 under the name of Miss Shakopee.
The current group has been active since 2002, and includes Little Miss, Jr. Miss as well as
Miss Shakopee programs. The group performs community service by representing the City
in Shakopee festivals and recently, Park Grand Openings, and also represent the City in
other community events throughout the year. They do annual fundraisers and also offer a
scholarship program.
Relationship to thenaminQ policv: The naming policy does not specifically address names in
honor of groups. The existing names involving groups have either been adopted prior to the
policy adoption or are in relation to a donation. They include: Lion's Park, the Rotary Room
in the Community Center and most recently the Rotary Playground, (the community built
playground in Huber Park). The application for the Ambassadors is not associated with a
donation, but is in reference to significant contributions to the community. Since this is an
organization for youth, significant donations may not be as applicable to this situation, but
that can be discussed by the Advisory Board along with your recommendation.
Additional Park Name Generatina Ideas
When the park naming policy was initially adopted, there was a concern of receiving too
many naming requests from the public. The opposite has turned out to be the case. Though
we did advertise the call for park names in several ways, there was not a great response.
There are more approaches we could try. Some other ideas for generating names are listed
in the policy as doing contests. Staff would like some direction from the Advisory Board to
find support to do one or more contests with local school children. Our discussion was to
select a grade level and work with them to get some names generated, possibly in
competition between the same grades in different schools.
Another idea is to ask for assistance from the Shakopee Historical Preservation Advisory
Committee (HPAC) or the Shakopee Historical Society to generate local persons or cultural
resources for park names.
A more simple approach could also be taken by the Advisory Board, by recommending that
some parks be named permanently for their development. In cases with more established
neighborhoods (Savannah Oaks), this may be most acceptable to the residents, but in
others where there are multiple parks in the same development (Countryside) or where
there is more than one development included (Providence Westchester), it is not as fitting
with regard to the naming guidelines. Development or plat names were not included as a
specific guideline in the policy in order to attempt to seek out more unique park names,
although this does not exclude their use. The stated goal of the policy is to adopt names
that are "unique, meaningful and inclusive." Development names could be determined to be
meaningful to existing residents in some cases.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND REQUESTED ACTION
1. Staff requests that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board discuss and recommend or
not recommend park naming applications for:
A. Leading Feather (classification) Park (or other name alternates) and,
B. Ambassador (classification) Park and
Both of which should include a recommendation on which of the un-named park sites
should be given that name.
2. Staff also requests that the Advisory Board consider other park names, which may
include Development or plat names, if the Advisory Board chooses.
3. Staff also seeks direction from the Advisory Board on continuing the park naming
process with inclusion of other groups such as local students and HPAC andlor Historical
Society.
PARK NAMING POLICY
1. A. The Purpose of the naming policy is to develop place names that are:
. Unique. Unique names are identifiable to a specific place and do not duplicate or are not
confused with existing names in City of Shakopee or neighboring areas.
. Meaningful. Names may reference natural features or landmarks, local historic events or
perso~s with historic significance, locally or nationally.
. Inclu~ive. Names shall be selected in a public adoption process. They shall be respectful of all
people and cultures and reflect positive values acceptable to the community as a whole.
B. Donor Na.ming may be considered on a case by case basis. Donor naming agreements
may include provisions for ongoing and special maintenance costs, such as the renovation of
a facility. Donor naming may also have specific terms for discontinuation or termination and
shall be adopted by City Council resolution.
C. Fundraising campaigns for dedicating memorial amenities, such as benches, pavers or
trees, shall be approved as a campaign by the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and City
Council under the existing Donation Policy concurrent with park improvements or new park
developments. Wording on memorial features shall follow the naming guidelines in this
policy.
2. Application Process:
A. The process may be initiated in the following ways:
i. By public announcement by the Park and Recreation Advisory Board in local papers or
the city's website or in conjunction with neighborhood design process.
ii. By application by a landowner, donor, group, or resident.
B. A Naming Request Form shall be completed which will include:
i. Location of Park or feature to by development / addition, and street frontage(s).
ii. Person/organization requesting the name and their contact information.
iii. Proposed name and up to two alternates, if desired.
iv. Explanation of name meaning(s), including translation, or biographical information if
the name is honoring a person or people.
v. Description of process involved in choosing the proposed name and what type of
public involvement was used.
3. Review Procedure.
A. Applications shall be submitted to the Park and Recreation Department, and reviewed by
staff for completeness and accuracy. A naming request made as a part of the development
process, may be submitted by the developer with a plat application. If not, the Park and
Recreation Advisory Board will begin the process by a public announcement as in 2.) A. i,
above.
B. Requests are presented by staff to the Park and Recreation Advisory Board in a regular
scheduled meeting.
C. The Park and Recreation Advisory Board shall discuss the Naming Request and
recommend or not recommend it to the City Council. They may also table the request for due
consideration before voting on it.
D. The City Council will hear and vote on the Park and Recreation Advisory Board
recommendation. The City Council shall have final authority on all Park Naming Requests.
All park names shall be adopted by Resolution by the City Council. A Naming Request
Resolution shall only take effect after the land has officially been transferred to the city's
ownership and the city retains legal title to the land.
City of Shakopee
Park Namin!! Application
Part I. All namine requests shall follow the euidelines below:
A. General Name .guidelines:
. Should nqt duplicate or be easily confused with existing public or private places in or near
Shakopee:
. Should avoid adjectives such as east, west, big, long, etc., and numbers when possible unless an
adjacent feature name uses the same descriptor.
. Should use the fewest words possible.
. Shall include an appropriate designator of the type of park, i.e. Community Park, Neighborhood
Park or Tot Lot.
B. Names ofhistOJ:,ic places, events and cultural ideas and names using Dakota language or concepts
shall be appropriate to the site and proposed use, and should follow standard current spelling of the Dakota
language.
C. Names to commemorate persons who have made significant contributions to Shakopee parks system,
(with the permission of the honoree, or immediate family or designated representative, if any). Names to
commemorate other local born or raised persons of historic, statewide or national importance may be
considered without a park association.
D. Names for site features, wildlife or other natural ideas, when site specific.
Part II. Please fill in all of the Questions below
Return completed applications to Shako pee Community Center or mail to: City of Shako pee Parks, Recreation,
Natural Resources and Facilities Department, Attn: Director, 1255 Fuller St., Shako pee, MN 55379.
1. Location of Park or feature to be named Development / Addition name, and adjacent street
frontage(s).
2. Person/organization requesting the name
Phone (daytime) Fax
Address:
3. Proposed name (and up to two alternates, if desired).
4. Explanation of name meaning(s), including translation, or biographical information if the name is
honoring a person or people, if applicable (may attach additional sheets).
5. Please describe the process involved in choosing the proposed name and what type of public
involvement was used.
2007
'the
of
e"#ents, mu f!mdnri$~~rn a
mi:t: tf) mal<e a
and aUf it
fmLner
meat
tixfte to and look forwaro ofouc
Dawn
AmbasMdor
1lI in ttt n~1%:r
"
*
#I i.e,
I,
$~lall
i), Nmws whet! site
NtltUtYJi.Jff1SfJU7Ce$
L
~l~
Nola: nolbe
I
ll"l
.at
mOll!
1~2
&46 Cioo &
Deior~$ in
Sh.aroo
1
1004. :,>>
Hickman
li!:llzar
M~$i!:I
U;15 %
1981
.2
I
t \ \
- I
1
1
I l~ .i#-
I
.~ I
.
1 I
L:rlA
Sl/}' d s:s::2 tOl !eJCli1S/ (]3V4 1 Wt!.J .:J8fu:t H
In rJt tllMtr
.. ~$ C1't$t, weat, twmb0n when 1tuht4'f; Ill!
tltlCfl th4l $.1&
1M'
"
wliet) $lt4)
/JUrt;
L
"'''''~ --"""""'<<'<<~. ._'" ~
tll%m'& is
-,,,,,--
lWOJ;:! 6s:n:l
;01
I
__nt HART
~kIts
Ol A'>> ',,4 TC1r:tK' ~~ :e! i?ljgPlbrnlY2~ H1MCti E:leJl5/(I3lePW04,;:j tjk::
tl !
~~8 Hl~~
a true: i :2
,
OJII fJ,
(
Cj/9'd t~ f,:5.:;;? 2Q; z 01
9/L'd T\11St: uS: Hl~ON {W0J::i tit: