Title
Public Hearing for Park Facility Naming of “The Olympia Armory”
Recommended Action
Move to recommend an official name for “Olympia Armory” to City Council.
Report
Issue:
Review submitted name recommendations for the “Olympia Armory” and make a recommendation to be presented to City Council for adoption.
Staff Contact:
Valerie Roberts, Armory Building Manager, Parks Arts and Recreation Department, 360.753.8468
Presenter(s):
Valerie Roberts, Armory Building Manager
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia is working to transform the historic Armory building into a new Creative Campus. The working vision of the Armory is to support the arts as integral to Olympia’s way of life; encourage community growth through creativity and innovation; use the arts to connect people, ideas, and place, while operating from an equity framework.
Three parks and parks facilities are currently under the process of finding a name - Kaiser Woods Park, Yelm Highway Park, and the Olympia Armory. The Olympia Armory is anticipated to open to the public in 2026 and will open under an official name.
The process and criteria for naming parks and park facilities is detailed in Olympia Municipal Code 12.62.050:
D. In naming parks and other park facilities, consideration shall be given primarily to:
1. Neighborhood, boundary roads, or common usage identification;
2. A natural or geographic feature;
3. Significant historical events or cultural attributes;
4. A historical figure;
5. A name chosen by an individual (living or deceased) who has made a significant land and/or monetary contribution to the park system;
6. An individual who has contributed outstanding civic service to the City or has been instrumental in acquiring or developing parks properties and who has been deceased for a period of at least one year;
7. Organizations having contributed to and influenced the betterment of the City.
E. Parks and park facilities shall not ordinarily be named for living persons unless they have stipulated the name as a condition of donation or unless the park or park facility is part of a regional facility that is named in conjunction with other governmental entities.
The code further identifies that PRAC shall hold a public hearing and consider all proposed names prior to making a recommendation to City Council.
Comprehensive Plan or Parks, Arts & Recreation Plan Connection:
Olympia Municipal Code 12.62.050 outlines the process for officially naming Olympia parks and park facilities. As stated in the code, PRAC must hold a public hearing and after consideration of all submitted names, shall forward a recommended name to City Council for their consideration.
This supports the Parks Arts and Recreation Master Plan “PR8.1 to Pursue a regional community arts center” as well as the Economic Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan “PE10.3 Examine the feasibility of establishing an arts center for the community.”
Climate Analysis:
Although this process does not directly impact climate goals, the name of parks and park facilities can impact people’s experiences of their environment and could have an impact on developing empathy for outdoor spaces - thus encouraging the future generation of stewardship.
Equity Analysis:
This process is guided by an established OMC policy and solicits community input and involvement multiple times. Additionally, city staff are working to bring awareness to this process for specific stakeholders to increase and encourage participation. A part of this is sharing the process to other Commissions at the City of Olympia, and another part is to reach out to involved community groups for each of these locations to encourage their participation in the process of finding a formal name.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Hopefully all community members become interested and involved the naming of their parks and park facilities.
Options:
1) Hold a public hearing, review suggested park names and make a recommendation to City Council on an official name for “Olympia Armory”.
2) Hold a public hearing, review suggested park names and do not make a recommendation to City Council on an official name for “Olympia Armory”. This would result in PRAC not providing input to Council on an official name.
Financial Impact:
There is no direct financial impact.
Attachments:
Armory_PRAC Naming Criteria Sheet
Armory_Suggested Names
Link to the Olympia Municipal Code 12.62.050 <https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Olympia/html/Olympia12/Olympia1262.html>