Title
Approval of a Recommendation for Naming Parks Properties currently known as The Olympia Armory, Yelm Highway Community Park, and Kaiser Woods Park
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) met on February 20, 2025, and unanimously moved to approve and forward to Council a recommendation to officially name The Olympia Armory as “Daley Arts Center”. PRAC met again on March 20, 2025, and unanimously moved to approve and forward to Council a recommendation to officially name the Yelm Highway Community Park as “Jolene Unsoeld Community Park”, and name Kaiser Woods Park as “Elk Ridge Trails Park” .
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommendations to officially name The Olympia Armory as “Daley Arts Center”, the Yelm Highway Community Park as “Jolene Unsoeld Community Park” and Kaiser Woods as “Elk Ridge Trails Park” and forward to the full Council for consideration.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommendations to officially name The Olympia Armory as “Daley Arts Center”, the Yelm Highway Community Park as “Jolene Unsoeld Community Park” and Kaiser Woods as “Elk Ridge Trails Park” and forward to the full Council for consideration.
Staff Contact:
Laura Keehan, Parks, Arts and Recreation, Parks Planning & Design Manager, 360.570.5855
Presenter(s):
Laura Keehan, Parks Planning & Design Manager
Sarah Giannobile, Parks Planner
Valerie Roberts, Armory Building Manager
Background and Analysis:
Three parks and parks facilities are currently under the process of finding an official name - The Olympia Armory, Yelm Highway Community Park, and Kaiser Woods Park.
The process and criteria for naming parks and park facilities are 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 the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) shall hold a public hearing and consider all proposed names prior to making a recommendation to City Council.
Process To Date
Park name suggestions were solicited from the public on Engage Olympia during the month of September 2024. Several community members proposed names and have provided testimony and/or written comments supporting various names.
On October 17, 2024, PRAC held a public hearing and had a discussion regarding recommending official names for the properties currently known as The Olympia Armory, Yelm Highway Community Park, and Kaiser Woods Park. PRAC moved to forward the following names to the City Council: “The Daley Creative Arts Campus at the Armory”, “Strawberry Fields Community Park” and “McMillan Trails Park”.
At PRAC’s February and March 2025 meetings, staff provided additional information about the proposed names and PRAC unanimously moved to revise the recommendation to: Daley Arts Center, Jolene Unsoeld Community Park, and Elk Ridge Trails Park.
The Olympia Armory Background
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.
Forty-six name ideas were suggested by community members through Engage Olympia. Five people provided testimony at the PRAC public hearing, mostly to support naming the facility after former Olympia Mayor, Bill Daley, who was a strong supporter of the Arts in Olympia and thus meets criteria #6 of the code.
Yelm Highway Community Park Background
In late 2018, Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation (OPARD) purchased 83 acres located at 3323 Yelm Highway for a future athletic field-oriented community park. The park master planning process proceeded over the following five years, and the park design is anticipated to go to bid at the end of this year. The approved master plan incorporates active and passive recreational amenities, preservation and protection of critical areas, and public art integration. To meet a longstanding community need for dedicated rectangular fields in Olympia, the focus of the park is on providing soccer fields.
Community members suggested 31 names for Yelm Highway Community Park and there were not any members of the public who testified at the public hearing. Some members of the public have written emails to PRAC and City Council supporting the name Jolene Unsoeld Community Park since the beginning of the year. Jolene Unsoeld served as a member of the United State House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. She is well known for her support of environmentalist and feminist causes. Her name fits criteria #4 and #6 of the code.
Kaiser Woods Park Background
Kaiser Woods Park is a 70.19-acre park located in southwest Olympia. It is currently undeveloped but is slated to be Olympia’s first park to have dedicated mountain biking trails.
In 2019, when the planning process kicked off for the Kaiser Woods Park Development, there was an effort to solicit names for the park. Fifty name suggestions were submitted during that time period. Since that time, several delays have slowed the planning and development process and therefore the naming process.
After a multi-year planning process, the park development plan is in the permitting phase with the hope of breaking ground in 2026. The park development will include over 5 miles of hiking and biking trails with skills areas and features for beginners to advanced riders. This project will also include new access to the park from Black Lake Boulevard, a 25-stall parking lot and a single restroom.
Five years have passed since the last name solicitation, so we opened another opportunity for name recommendations in conjunction with the naming of The Olympia Armory and Yelm Highway Community Park.
In total, 83 names were suggested for Kaiser Woods Park on the Engage Olympia platform. Four people provided testimony about various names at the public hearing. PRAC recommended the name Elk Ridge Trails Park to honor the elk herd that lives in the Delphi area nearby, which meets criteria #2 of the code.
Climate Analysis:
Naming of these parks will not have a climate impact.
Equity Analysis:
Park names reflect the values, history and identity of the community. Naming decisions can advance equity when they honor underrepresented groups, recognize cultural histories and places. Names that exclude underrepresented communities can reinforce historical inequities and limit opportunities for belonging. The park naming process provides several opportunities for community input through a variety of engagement methods and consideration of multiple perspectives before a final recommendation is made.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Park name suggestions were solicited from the public on Engage Olympia during the month of September 2024. Several community members have provided testimony and/or written comments supporting various names.
Financial Impact:
Naming parks does not have a significant financial impact and is primarily limited to the purchase of park signs.
Options:
1. Move to approve the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommendations to officially name The Olympia Armory as “Daley Arts Center”, the Yelm Highway Community Park as “Jolene Unsoeld Community Park” and Kaiser Woods as “Elk Ridge Trails Park” and forward to the full Council for consideration.
2. Recommend alternative names for City Council’s consideration.
3. Do not recommend names to City Council. Council would consider park names without a Community Livability and Public Safety Committee recommendation.
Attachments:
OMC 12.62.050
Suggested Park Names- Armory
Suggested Park Names- Yelm Highway Park
Suggested Park Names- Kaiser Woods
Presentation