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HomeMy WebLinkAbout#15 - Savona Neighborhood Park NameSTAFF REPORT DATE: November 19th, 2019 ITEM #: TO: City Council FROM: Ben Prchal, City Planner AGENDA ITEM: Naming of Park in Savona BACKGROUND: There is close to a 2 acre park in the middle of the Savona Development. Until now the park has been referred to as the Savona Park. Due to the recently adopted Park Naming Policy parks are no longer allowed to be directly named after a development, nor had it formally been named. Similar to the way Firefly Park was named, the City posted a poll and notification on the City website requesting suggestions for a park name. There were many name suggestions that came forward and Staff has done their best to organize the suggested names to assist with the selection process. ISSUE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL: Which name would the City Council like to adopt for the park in Savona? ANALYSIS: The City received many suggestions for the park and Staff has done their best to group them into three different categories Miscellaneous, Native America, and People. Staff has provided an explanation for some of the suggestions, if it was believed to provide extra value. The Parks Commission also reviewed the list and provided an additional name as a recommendation, highlighted as blue. Miscellaneous Native American People Daisy Park Anishinaabe Park Schilgten Park Penguine Park Mitigomin Park Reflection Park Rolling Hills Park People Shiltgen: The Schiltgen farm is very well known in Lake Elmo and is tough to miss due to the barn that sits next to Stillwater Boulevard. The Schiltgens purchased the farm from the Moscrip family and continued to use it as a horse and cattle farm. Hammes: Based off of old plat maps the Hammes owned land near Goose Lake dating back to 1912. Staff was unable to find much information on the family beyond the plat maps but was able to find record that some of their land was incorporated into the Washington County Park Reserve in 2015. Miscellaneous Native American People Daisy Park Anishinaabe Park Shiltgen Park Penguin Park Mitigomin Park Hammes Park Reflection Park Rolling Hills Park Native American Anishinaabe Park: This is a Native American term which stems from many Canadian and American tribes. The term means person, Native Person, or Indigenous People. Based off some research the word can have different spellings and slightly different meanings due to the fact that there were different dialects between the tribes. Mitigomin Park: Staff was able to find this term to translate into acorn. COMMISSION AND STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Parks Commission Recommendation: The Parks Commission opted to recommend two names, Hammes Park or Mitigomin Park. The Commission liked the idea of Mitigomin Park because it would bring recognition to the fact that Native Americans did live in the area prior the documented settlers of Lake Elmo. The Hammes Park recommendation came from a consensus that it is nice to hold onto some of the history and older names that helped develop Lake Elmo. Staff Comment: When it comes to recommending Hammes Park there are two things that Staff would like to point out. The first being the park naming policy. City Staff has been unable to determine that the Hammes family has contributed to the Lake Elmo Park system financially or otherwise. Second, the City no longer wants to see parks named after developments. There is a neighborhood to the north of Savona that is developed and marketed as Lake Ridge Crossing, but the plat says Hammes Estates. Because the plat name is Hammes Estates and there has not been substantial information provided to suggest that there was contribution to the Lake Elmo Parks by the family, Staff would suggest that another name should be considered. If the City Council would like to consider using older/historical names for parks the park naming policy should be amended so this can more easily be accommodated. ATTACHMENTS: o Park Naming Policy o Shiltgen Write Up o Historic Plats City of Lake Elmo Policy and Procedure for Naming City Parks, Trails, Recreational Areas, and Facilities Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to establish a standard procedure for the naming and renaming of parks, trails, recreational areas and facilities owned and/or operated by the City of Lake Elmo. This policy will guide name recognition and establish a uniform process. The Parks Commission shall be responsible for providing a recommended name to the City Council. The City Council will have the final say for the approved name. Objectives: • To name City parks, trails, recreational areas and facilities with the intent of enhancing the community by provoking a sense of place. • Ensure that parks and recreational areas are easily identified and located with names that are consistent with the values and characteristics of the City of Lake Elmo. • Assure the quality of the title/name, so that it will serve the purpose of the City in a permanent manner. • Encourage public participation and input in order to fully represent the best interest of the community. Criteria for Submitting a Name: When a proposed name is presented for review, City Staff will first vet the name against the criteria listed below. If a name does not fall into one of the categories listed below or is deemed to be derogatory or offensive in nature, the consideration will be thrown out. It should also be known that the City will not consider names that are directly named after a specific neighborhood or subdivision. The Park name shall not: • Park Names shall not be duplicated. • The City will not name parks directly after a development. • For example, the park within Wildflower shall not be called Wildflower Park. However, rose park, fox glove park, etc. would be acceptable. Categories for potential park Names: • An outstanding feature of the area. (example: hill, river, vegetation) • Geographical location of the park such as a street name. • Naming after an individual (living or non-living) or organization. The City may require additional information to further enforce that the individual has significantly contributed to the improvement of the Lake Elmo Parks system. • A person (living or non-living) or group who significantly contributed to the acquisition or development of park/facilities, who provided an exceptional service in the interest of the park system, or for the community as a whole. When naming after a person or persons, written documentation of approval by next of kin is required (if available/possible) as part of the proposal. • A standard for significant contribution shall consist of providing at least 50% of the cost to develop or acquire the land. • The City understands there are other categories that a name could be pulled from and would not exclude its consideration. Procedure: The City has created a process that will provide consistency for naming or re-naming City Parks. In general a submission will come in, go through staff review and approval, undergo a Parks Commission review, and end with final approval or denial from the City Council. The City would like to encourage residents to stay interested and voice their opinions during the meetings when the name is being considered. Step 1) At the time that the City is ready to name or rename a park, notification will be put in the Fresh, City Facebook, and or use other measures as appropriate. The City will seek name suggestions from the City Council or Commissions, City residents, Community leaders or organizations interested in proposing a name for a park, trail, recreational area or facility. The applicant should either request a Naming Policy form from the City Clerk or download the form from the City Website on the Parks page. After the form has been filled out it will need to be submitted to the City Planner to review against the criteria. Once the timeframe for receiving names has closed, Staff will begin the review process. Step 2) Staff will notify the applicant if the proposed name has or has not met the requirements. After a proposed name has been approved by Staff, the applicant will be informed when the name is going to be discussed by the Parks Commission. After the Commission discussion, the recommendation(s) will move onto the City Council for final approval or denial. Step 3) Once the City Council votes to approve a name, the name of the park shall be confirmed by passing a resolution. Renaming: The intent of naming is for permanent recognition, the renaming of parks and facilities is discouraged. Though, the City understands that renaming a park, trail, or facility may be necessary to create more cohesiveness throughout the City. It is recommended that efforts to change a name become subject to crucial examination so as not to diminish the original justification for the name or discount the value of the prior contributors. Renaming a park will follow the same procedure stated above. Washington County Historical Society Lake Elmo Main Street in 1906. Indexes Lake Elmo was part of Oakdale Township until 1951 when the township separated into Oakdale and East Oakdale. In 1925 the small commercial district incorporated as a village and in 1972 the village and East Oakdale Township joined to become the City of Lake Elmo. First to settle in the area in 1848 were Virginians Bernard B. “Bun” Cyphers and his wife Maria, who built a hotel, tavern, and stage stop, known as the Lake House, south of Sunfish Lake on the first road to be surveyed through the township. By 1850 the Stillwater Road, corresponding more to less to Highway 5, had been constructed. It was used for many years by the Willoughby & Powers stage coaches taking passengers between St. Paul and Stillwater. In 1876 a post office was established at Bass Lake Station, now known as Lake Elmo village. The Lake House became the town meeting site in the 1860s, and was also used as the District 12 school. Bass Lake, the original name of the lake, was noted for its fresh water and good fishing. Both lake and village were renamed Lake Elmo in 1879 by railroad promoter and St. Paul businessman, Alpheus B. Stickney, as being more euphonious. Lake Elmo became a popular summer resort. There were many livery stables in St. Paul and Stillwater and a large part of their business was taking people out to Lake Elmo. In 1872 the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylor’s Falls Railroad (later the Omaha Road) passed through Lake Elmo, making it easy for tourists from St. Paul to reach the lake. A. B. Stickney was presumably acting for the railroad when he purchased the land between the railroad tracks and the lake. There he built an “elegant and spacious” 58-room lake hotel. Probably Stickney’s influence caused the county fair grounds to be built on land he owned at Lake Elmo in 1875. In 1876 at the fair, baseball was the game and there were matches every day. Unfortunately in 1877, a tornado hit the fairgrounds and the fair was moved to Stillwater. Lake Elmo enjoyed a decade of solid success with its well-publicized resort hotel, but attempts to build a cottage community around the lake generally did not succeed. The most ambitious was the Elmo Residence Park, platted in 1884 around the eastern side of the lake. Several cottages, a bandstand, and clubhouse were completed. By the early 1890s streetcar companies were extending their lines to lakes close to the cities. Unfortunately for Lake Elmo, the streetcar line to Stillwater was run through Mahtomedi, which became the new pleasure grounds. Lake Elmo, which had to depend upon railroads and stage coaches, lost popularity as a resort. In the early days, the Lake Elmo commercial center, which grew up around the railroad station, boasted a store, saloon, a “flat” grain house where farmers could unload wagons directly onto the trains, a blacksmith, and a wagon repair shop. In 1888 the Iowa Land Company bought Stickney’s property and the adjoining Lohmann farm, platted the area and laid it out into lots. By the 1920s the Stillwater Road had been paved and the village was established as a substantial shipping point and dairy center that boasted a creamery, grain elevator, two grocery stores, hardware and implement stores, a private hospital, a bank, a garage, and even a roller skating rink. The downtown area was platted as Lake Elmo Village in 1925, the year a second creamery, the Twin City Milk Company plant, was built. Many of the early farmers were Germans, and there were several Irish families, but there were few of the Yankees so prevalent on the St. Croix River. Several farmers specialized in Jersey and Holstein cattle and Yorkshire swine. Among these was William Moscrip, who developed a modern dairy facility now known as North Star Farms east of Sunfish Lake, which he sold in 1948 to Leo Shiltgen. Lake Elmo gradually lost its importance as an agricultural center, but began to see residential growth as suburban development moved eastward from St. Paul. One of the most ambitious projects of the 1960s was Cimarron, a planned community of manufactured homes next to a golf course south of the village. The construction of Lake Elmo Airport (actually in Baytown) in 1952 kept the city on the map. Today much of the city is taken up by Lake Elmo Regional Park Reserve, on the western shore of Lake Elmo. In general, Lake Elmo has elected to remain rural, limiting the typical suburban development overtaking much of the rest of the county. Its population growth, from 5,900 to 7,900 in 2005, has been contained. However, Lake Elmo is planning for strong growth over the next two decades, including development of the Historic Old Village area.