Title
Review City Facility Naming Policy and Discuss Process for Renaming Jackson Park (20 minutes)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
From: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Re: Discuss Historical Background on Jackson Park and Naming Process.
BACKGROUND
At its April 12, 2018 meeting, the Recreation and Parks Commission received two Written Communications related to naming or re-naming parks. One was a request to rename Jackson Park to Justice Park. The second was to name a new, yet-to-be-built park at Alameda Landing Waterfront, to Bohol Circle Park.
The Commission directed staff to bring a review of the existing City Facility Naming Policy and clarifications on the policy's direction to rename a facility.
At its May 10, 2018 meeting, the Recreation and Parks Commission requested that staff work with the Alameda Museum or College of Alameda to find additional information on the background of Jackson Park and help identify criteria for naming parks. The criteria is discussed under a separate agenda item for tonight's meeting. Staff reached out to Alameda Museum and corresponded directly with Woodruff Minor, who is a well-known local historian.
DISCUSSION
History of Jackson Park
All information on Jackson Park is cited from Alameda at Play, A Century of Public Parks and Recreation in a Bay Area City, by Woodruff Minor. Additional information was received from recent correspondence with Mr. Minor.
Jackson Park was the City's first park, however when it opened in 1895 it was named Alameda Park. After a failed petition drive to condemn this commons area on Park Avenue as a public park, the Alameda Board of City Trustees authorized City Attorney E.K. Taylor to begin condemnation proceedings. Mr. Taylor then obtained waivers from over 120 property owners, including from absentee owners who lived in other cities and countries. By 1893, he had obtained all of the waivers and in June 1894, the Su...
Click here for full text