City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Recommendation from the City Council Naming Committee to Change the Name of Simpson Triangle to Kettle Park.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of the recommendation from the City Council Naming Committee to change the name of Simpson Triangle to Kettle Park.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Receive the recommendation from the City Council Naming Committee regarding name change of Simpson Triangle to Kettle Park;
2. Schedule a public hearing for Saturday, September 14, 2019 and after closing the public hearing, adopt the recommendation of the City Naming Committee to name the Simpson Triangle Kettle Park.
BACKGROUND: The Simpson Triangle Improvement Group, comprised of several members of the Alexandria Beautification Commission and of the Del Ray community, submitted a proposal (Attachment 1) to name the Simpson Triangle (corner of E. Bellefonte Ave and Richmond Highway) Kettle Park (Attachment 2). This name was derived from an oral history that described an annual tradition for neighbors to bring food, put it in a big kettle in the yard, make a giant soup, and have a party. This tradition embodies the spirit of the Del Ray, to which togetherness and a sense of community are very important.
The Simpson Triangle Improvement Group issued a broad call for name suggestions on social media and at community meetings. Of the dozens of suggestions, we selected six names that we felt were viable. We then used Survey Monkey to poll the community on those six names and received 184 responses. The name "Kettle Park" received the most votes by far (47% of the vote, with "Bellefonte Grove" in second place with 21%).
DISCUSSION: On June 17, 2019, the City Council Naming Committee (Councilwoman Del Pepper, Chair; Councilman John Chapman; and Jack Browand, Division Chief, Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities) voted unanimously to recommend to City Council to approve the naming of the Simpson Triangle to Kettle Park.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Simpson Triangle Site Map
2. Kettle Park Naming Proposal
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
James Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities
Jack Browand, Division Chief, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities
Dana Wedeles, Principal Planner, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities
Ana Vicinanzo, Urban Planner II, Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities.