To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Kristin Read, Assistant Town Manager
Jeff Brauer, Parks and Recreation Director
Title
Update: Planned Plum Creek North Park Naming Process
Body
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Executive Summary
The Town needs a name for its upcoming park in Plum Creek, along Emerald Drive. Staff has outlined a process for bringing a park name to Council for consideration. The purpose of this item is to update Council on those plans in order to obtain any feedback before continuing forward.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
A communications plan will be carried out to involve the public in the park-naming process. It will include outreach on the Town’s website, social media channels, email and other avenues. Outreach is expected to launch later this month, and input will be accepted through September 29.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Town Council in 2006 adopted a policy on naming Town facilities. Another Council then updated that policy in 2013, and that version is the current version (Attachment A).
Discussion
Staff has outlined a process for following the Council-adopted naming policy in determining the name of the upcoming park in Plum Creek north. The policy provides that the goal for selecting names shall primarily be fostering a sense of community and small-town character. This includes names that heighten awareness of Town history; celebrate the natural environment; call attention to points of pride in the community; and/or call attention to people, events and geography that have shaped the Town.
The policy calls for the Town Manager and/or designee - in this case, the Assistant Town Manager and Parks and Recreation Director - to chair a staff committee to review nominations received and select those for further consideration and/or recommendation. In addition to the Town Manager’s two designees, staff proposes that the Town’s Parks and Recreation Project Manager, who is staff lead for the park, be part of this process. The group’s review would be anticipated to occur during the first two weeks of October.
Per the policy, the staff committee is then to submit a report to the board or commission most closely involved with this facility, in this case, the Parks and Recreation Commission. Staff plans for that commission to consider the staff committee’s report at its October 18 meeting and take any additional public input before making a recommendation to Council for the park’s name.
The Parks and Recreation Commission’s nomination, then, would be submitted to Town Council for final action - a resolution establishing the park’s name, and the reasons for such - at Council’s November 7 meeting.
Following that action, staff will work to implement the park’s name as approved by Council.
To reiterate the above, here is the proposed schedule at a glance:
Late July-Sept. 29: Public submits naming feedback at CRgov.com/futureparks
October 2-13: Staff Committee of Assistant Town Manager, Parks and Recreation Director and Parks and Recreation Project Manager reviews nominations and selects those for further consideration
October 18: Parks and Recreation Commission reviews staff committee’s report, takes public feedback and recommends a name to Town Council
November 7: Town Council considers a resolution establishing the park’s name and the reasons for such
Staff Recommendation
Staff’s recommended process for establishing the name for the upcoming park in Plum Creek north is outlined in this memo.
Proposed Action
No formal Council action is requested at this time. Staff welcomes any feedback Council has regarding the planned process.
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution 2013-56: A Resolution Adopting an Amended Town of Castle Rock Facility Naming Policy