Name Debated for Unnamed Park in Downtown Davenport
By GREG PARLIER / LEDGER MEDIA GROUP
Posted Jun 13, 2013 at 3:30 AM
DAVENPORT | A plurality of residents like the name Market Square, but commissioners aren’t ready to commit to that name for the unnamed downtown park on Bay Street.
City staff put a ballot in May’s water bill, which listed the four top options chosen by the commission at the workshop earlier that month, as well as a space for a write-in.
Hendrix Park, Market Square, Merchant Square and Veteran’s Park made the initial cut, with Market Square receiving 76 of the 224 votes submitted.
Veteran’s Park placed second with 64 votes, Hendrix Park got 56 votes and Merchant Square got 21.
“I cannot believe we wouldn’t name it Veteran’s Park,” said Vice Mayor H.B. Robinson. “If you take the (total) between Medal of Honor winner Mr. Hendrix and Veterans Park, it far exceeds the other votes.” Combined, the two names received 120 votes.
The late James R. Hendrix, a Davenport native who won a Medal of Honor for his service in World War II, is immortalized with a statue in Wilson Park, but some people would like to see the downtown park named in honor of him and other veterans.
“I would recommend Veteran’s Park, and take the Hendrix monument and relocate it to the Veteran’s Park. Let’s dedicate that for a quiet zone, a memorial zone for not just Mr. Hendrix but all veterans,” said Mayor Darlene Bradley.
In an effort to compromise, Commissioner Bobby Lynch suggested they rename Wilson Park to Veteran’s Park to match the theme created by the Hendrix statue and keep Market Square for the smaller downtown park.
But Commissioner Tom Fellows said he would be adamantly opposed to renaming a park or moving the statue.
“Once you name a park it should always be that park. Once you dedicate a spot in someone’s honor, it should be there forever. You are doing whoever it is a huge disservice by several years down the road moving the spot that has been dedicated in his honor.” Fellows and Lynch agreed that they should honor the residents’ vote to name the downtown park Market Square.
Commissioner Crystal Williams was absent; the discussion will continue at a future meeting.
Some Prefer a Veterans’ Theme in Naming of New Davenport Park
By GREG PARLIER / THE LEDGER
Posted Aug 5, 2013 at 5:00 AM
DAVENPORT | Veterans and merchants in Davenport are at odds over the naming of a new park on Bay Street.
“Market Square” received the most votes in a ballot the city sent out on a water bill in May, but some residents said the ballot was ambiguous and confusing.
“I wrote in ‘James Hendrix Veteran’s Memorial Park’ because I thought both (veteran-related) names they put on there would be good,” said Davenport resident Linda Robinson, who is the wife of Vice Mayor H.B. Robinson, a veteran. “The actual name doesn’t matter. I only ask that they name it after veterans.“
Hendrix Park, after Medal of Honor winner James Hendrix, received 56 votes; Merchant Square received 21; Market Square received 76; and Veteran’s Park received 64 out of 224 total votes submitted.
There were seven write-in votes, including two for a veterans’ theme and one for a business theme.
Linda Robinson argued that more people voted for veteran-themed names than any other theme in a letter she presented to commissioners at the July 22 workshop.
“Based on the numbers, it is my opinion that the majority of the people want the park to be named to honor veterans. Of the 224 votes that were cast, 122 votes were related to veterans, 98 were business related, and four were city related,” she wrote.
However, three out of five commissioners agreed at a workshop July 8 to go with Market Square, based on the water bill ballots.
“The big complaint was we’re not listening to the citizens,” Commissioner Tom Fellows said at that meeting. “We’re listening to them. Market Square got the most votes, so are we going to listen to what they said or are we going to make it what we want to?“
Commissioners Bobby Lynch and Crystal Williams agreed.
“If we’re not going to listen to the citizens and what they picked, we have to throw that out the window and not go back to ask the citizens what they want. Is that what we’re saying?” Lynch asked.
Mayor Darlene Bradley said choosing a veteran-related name is exactly what the people want.
“The majority (voted) for veterans. It looks like that’s pretty loud and clear,” she said.
H.B. Robinson agreed with Bradley.
Linda Robinson suggested that if the city redid the poll, asking if residents wanted a veteran-, business- or city-themed name, the veteran theme would win.
The name will not officially be adopted until a resolution is brought before the commission, which is scheduled to happen at the Aug. 26 commission meeting, City Manager Amy Arrington said.
Several advocates of a veteran-related name were frustrated with how the poll was conducted.
Long-time Davenport resident Darrell Schaefer, who served in the Army for 23 years, said he thought the poll was confusing and a veteran-themed park would be something Davenport could be proud of.
George Letterman said he has veterans living all around him and they did more for this town than merchants could.
“I think it’d mean a whole lot to the veterans to have it named after them,” he said.
Some business owners in town see it differently.
“Of course I’d love to have it named Merchant Square, but the people voted for Market Square, so that’s what it should be,” said Samantha Summerlin, owner of the Hotel Tea Room and Flower Corner and president of the Davenport Merchants Association.
Summerlin and Linda Tyler, owner of Linda’s Hair Center, which is right next to the unnamed park, said the city already has a veterans park in Wilson Park, and this park should honor business owners.
“It would be kind of cool to have the park named after merchants, but Market Square would be OK, too,” Tyler said.
Wilson Park, which is under construction and will be dedicated sometime in August, includes a statue and plaque in memory of Hendrix, Arrington said.
Fellows didn’t want to create confusion by naming the new downtown park after Hendrix when Wilson Park already has his statue.
“To me, if you make this Hendrix Park over here (on Bay Street), then you’re taking away from his place of honor over here (in Wilson Park). I’m against that. We dedicated that spot to him and that’s going to be a memorial not only to him but to all veterans,” Fellows said.
Arrington said staff will update the commission of all the improvements made to the downtown park at the August meeting and present possibilities of further additions, including irrigation, a water fountain, a small level of landscaping and signage with the park name.
The park currently consists of a gazebo, which was moved from Wilson Park, with a deck, sidewalk and lighting, Arrington said.
Davenport Park To Go Unnamed Another Month
By GREG PARLIER / LEDGER MEDIA GROUP
Posted Aug 27, 2013 at 4:59 PM
DAVENPORT | Davenport’s newest downtown park will go unnamed for another month after the City Commission delayed picking a name until its September meeting.
City Manager Amy Arrington said the resolution to name the park had not been finished in time for Monday’s meeting.
The park will likely be named Market Square, which received the most votes on a citywide water bill ballot in May.
Commissioners have been debating the name at meetings and workshops since June, and three commissioners have consistently said they would echo the residents’ vote.
Market Square beat out a number of other names including Veterans’ Park and James Hendrix Memorial Park, but Mayor Darlene Bradley and Vice Mayor H.B. Robinson said they would prefer a veteran-themed name.
Bradley has said more votes were cast for the veterans’ theme than a business theme.
There were 122 votes for names that mention veterans or Davenport’s Medal of Honor winner, James Hendrix. There were 97 votes for names with “merchant” or “market” in them.
The park, which sits between Bay and Market streets, may not be getting a name yet, but it will get some more improvements.
Commissioners designated about $7,000 for a new sidewalk, signs and other improvements to the park, in addition to the about $16,000 already spent on lighting, a new roof for the gazebo, deck and wheelchair accessible ramp.
The city will use Parks and Recreation Impact fees to pay for the most recent wave of improvements.
Bradley questioned the need for irrigation and additional landscaping at the park, especially since cars park on the grass there for the monthly Cruise-In event.
She said the oldest cars have to park on grass, rather than asphalt, because they are so old.
But Commissioners Tom Fellows and Crystal Williams said they want the park to be aesthetically pleasing.
“If we’re going to go to the effort of having a new park, why don’t we make it nice?” he asked.
In other business, the commission approved the final version of the city’s public participation policy for commission meetings and workshops.
City Attorney Kirk Warren said he is working on drafting a resolution for the policy to ensure the city stays in compliance with Senate Bill 50, which goes into effect Oct. 1.
The commission will allow two opportunities for public comment at regular commission meetings, but not at workshops or in committees.
Davenport Mayor, Officials Spar Over Public Comment at Commission Meetings
By GREG PARLIER / LEDGER MEDIA GROUP
Posted Jun 3, 2013 at 12:01 AM
DAVENPORT | Mayor Darlene Bradley continues to spar with commissioners and the city attorney over the role of public comment, this time at regular commission meetings.
Commissioners spent more than an hour at a meeting last week debating whether residents should be allowed to have input on any discussion.
Bradley said she thinks residents should be allowed to speak during discussion of each agenda item, rather than just during a public comment section currently reserved for the beginning of each meeting.
After numerous people stood up during each agenda item at the May 28 meeting, there was confusion over who was allowed to speak and when.
One resident asked: “Is this for anyone to stand up and talk?“
The commission had a long, unresolved debate at a workshop meeting earlier in May about the role of public comment in those meetings, and Bradley proposed there that everyone should be allowed to speak at any time at both meetings.
“We owe it to them since it is the citizens here that pay for the electric bill and the water bill. Everything that we decide on here is coming out of their back pockets,” she said.
As chair of the commission, Bradley says she has the right to recognize anyone, including audience members, at any point during the commission meeting, no matter what the other commissioners think, based on a resolution signed by former Mayor Pete Rust in 2009.
The resolution reads: “No member or person should be allowed to speak unless recognized by the chair, or unless invited by a majority of the entire commission.“
City Attorney Kirk Warren didn’t agree with Bradley’s interpretation.
“There’s no law either way on this. But the way I read this is there has to be a particular order,” he said. “For everybody just to pop up at any point on the agenda, I don’t think that’s right, no. If you want that to change, we can make it change.“
All the commissioners agreed with Warren.
“She seems to be interpreting the (resolution) in her favor,” said Commissioner Crystal Williams.
“The difficulty is, we have to defer to her,” Williams said. “I’m only slightly concerned that if she takes an autonomous position, she won’t let the body politic operate.“
The current order of business for regular commission meetings includes a public comment section at the beginning of the meeting that “welcomes and invites citizens to comment on items of community interest or concern, or to bring forth areas of personal attention which may have not been fully addressed by city staff.“
The agenda requests residents to limit their time to five minutes and one area of interest.
At last Tuesday’s meeting, however, multiple people spoke several separate times on several different issues, and sometimes for longer than five minutes.
Bradley welcomed any and all comments, which led to the meeting lasting well over three hours.
Vice Mayor H.B. Robinson III said he believes in public comment, but there is an order to follow.
“I believe absolutely in public comment, but there is a system where people get up and talk,” he said. “I don’t want to see our meetings turn into shouting matches.“
Williams later suggested that residents who have concerns or comments for commissioners approach them individually.
If everyone has something to say on every agenda item, the already slow governmental process can get even more bogged down, she said.
“I just want to have a respectful conversation on certain agenda items we reach,” said resident and former commissioner John Lepley at the meeting, who also happens to be Bradley’s husband.
“Again, as I said earlier, I don’t know why that threatens you,” he said. “Now, shouting from the audience is unacceptable and the mayor needs to gavel that down. We’re supposed to be adults acting like adults, but I would like everything I have to say to be up for consideration.“
The commission did not come to a resolution last week, but will take up the topic again at the June 10 workshop.
Davenport City Commission Addresses Public Comments
By GREG PARLIER / THE LEDGER MEDIA GROUP
Posted Jun 10, 2013 at 11:44 PM
DAVENPORT | The City Commission tentatively agreed at Monday’s workshop to change the public comment format at regular meetings.
The change would allow the public to comment via comment cards on individual agenda items as the items are addressed.
After 45 minutes of discussion, the commission decided to provide comment cards for the public to write their names, address, agenda item they want to address and their comments for Mayor Darlene Bradley’s review during meetings.
It is still unclear whether Bradley will read the comments aloud or allow residents to address the commission themselves.
Residents still will be allowed five minutes each at the beginning of regular meetings to comment on things not on the agenda, without having to fill out comment cards.
Commissioner Crystal Williams was not at Monday’s meeting, and the commission is waiting to hear her opinion at the next regular meeting before making a final decision.
The commission has sparred over this issue since Bradley took office in April, with the new mayor adamantly advocating for open, unrestricted public comment during any meeting.
The other four commissioners have expressed concern about public comment extending meetings unnecessarily and said they didn’t want the public to interrupt their own discussions.
The commission did not come to a decision on the procedure for public comment during workshop sessions.
The three commissioners who were at Monday’s workshop said they did not want to allow comment at workshops at all, unless those commenting are specifically invested in a particular topic, but Mayor Bradley was adamantly in favor of it.
The commission will test the comment card system at the next regular meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. June 24 at City Hall.
Davenport Sets New Meeting Policy for Public Comments
By GREG PARLIER / LEDGER MEDIA GROUP
Posted Jul 14, 2013 at 12:00 AM
DAVENPORT | The City Commission will require comment cards for anyone who wishes to speak at regular meetings but will not accept public comment at workshop meetings, commissioners decided at a workshop last week.
Members of the public will have to fill out a form, including their name, address andwhether they are a resident or a land or business owner, and the agenda item on which they wish to speak at regular commission meetings.
Also on the form is the option to provide a telephone number and email address for staff to follow up.
During a 45-minute discussion at Monday’s workshop, Vice Mayor H.B. Robinson said some residents have told him that writing down personal information might intimidate them from speaking at meetings.
But City Manager Amy Arrington said the name and address of anyone who speaks is written into the record regardless of whether it’s written or spoken.
There is a designated point at the beginning of meetings for public comment on anything not on the agenda, limited to five minutes per person. Staff now will include an opportunity for the public to address individual agenda items as they are brought up, within a three-minute time limit.
Each agenda item will be presented as follows: staff presentation; public input; commission questions; motion to approve/disapprove or adopt/deny; commission discussion; vote.
City staff was directed to draft a resolution on the new meeting format to be introduced at an upcoming commission meeting.
The commission, with the exception of Mayor Darlene Bradley, did not want to allow public comment at workshops. Bradley always has held firm that she would prefer to allow public comment at all meetings
”If it’s not broken, I don’t think we should fix it. We bend over backwards to let our citizens talk,” Robinson said at the meeting. “We exceed standards. Few places have the openness of government we have here.“
Commissioner Tom Fellows agreed. “In a workshop, I feel like that’s not only for informational purposes for us, but information for the public to see how we feel about it.“
They will allow certain “resource” members of the audience to speak, at the commission’s discretion, if they have something valuable to add.