Black Diamond residents will have a say in creating a name for a green space near the town’s arena this month.
Black Diamond council decided at its Feb. 28 meeting to invite the public to suggest a name for the area southwest of the Oilfields Regional Arena, where a bike pump track is slated to be built this spring.
The park naming project is a pilot project to help the Town create a policy around naming parks, both established and new.
“We decided to use this opportunity to create a process that works for us,” said Verna Staples, legislative services manager. “We are going to use this to design something that works in this community. There may be a need for this in the future.”
The area southwest of the arena is used as a mustering area for the Diamond Valley Parade every June and last year was the site for the Canada Day celebrations.
Future plans for the space include a bicycle pump track and basketball court, she said.
Deputy Mayor Mike Ross suggested to council that the space be named Blakeman Memorial Athletic Park during an earlier council meeting, when council discussed the that the area has no name for promotion or advertising of activities.
Ross said he felt it would be a great honour for Black Diamond to commemorate its first mayor and a prominent business man in his day.
“I’m thinking of the pioneer history of the town,” he said. “There is very little around here that’s got that kind of history anymore.”
Ross said the decision should be made at the council level, similar to council’s decision to rename the Centennial Park Lions Club Campground the Bob Lochhead Memorial Park in 2014 after the late Bob Lochhead, an avid volunteer with the Foothills Lions Club.
Coun. Ruth Griffith said that while she respects Ross’ idea to honour a piece of Black Diamond history, she would like the name of the park to be decided among residents.
“I would like the public to participate in the naming of this park,” she said, adding Ross could still put his suggestion forward. “As a council member I’m not comfortable making that decision without public input.”
Staples said council’s decision in 2014 to change the name of the campground was the first instance in as long as she’s aware that someone requested to name a space in the community, yet the Town should be prepared for any other requests.
Staples said the public was involved in naming Perdue Park in Turner Valley last year.
Residents participated in an online survey to name the park, and selected Perdue Park in honour of former Turner Valley RCMP Constable Jeremy Perdue who lost his battle against cancer last year.
“It seemed to work really well,” Staples said. “We will see how this process works and we will build a policy around it.”
The public has until March 15 to submit name suggestions for the space southwest of Oilfields Regional Arena. The submissions will be down-listed to three selections by two council members and three members of administration.
The final selections will go to a public survey at town.blackdiamond.ab.ca
