North Liberty wants public to help name new park

It is the park that shall not be named – only because it doesn't have one.

The City of North Liberty recently broke ground on a new 40-acres community park on the west side of town, near North Bend Elementary School.

The park has an address – 1565 St. Andrews Drive. Now it needs a name.

The city launched its Name That Park contest to find a name for its newest outdoor recreation area.

“It's going to be our biggest park so far,” says Nick Bergus, the city's communications director. “We want the community to have some ownership.”

The public can submit names online at http://northlibertyiowa.org/community/green-spaces/name-that-park/.

Name suggestions will only be accepted online. Those without access to the Internet at home are encouraged to make use of the public computers at the North Liberty Community Library.

Suggestions will be accepted until June 15.

City staff members will review all submissions, forwarding five to 10 names for the Parks and Recreation Board during its July meeting. Board members will select three finalists to send to city council members who will vote on the park's official name.

In the past, North Liberty's parks have been named in a variety of ways. Beaver Kreek Park's name was created by using the developers' initials, George Buechler and Ralston Kornegor. Penn Meadows Park was named in a previous Name That Park contest, while Fox Run Neighborhood Park is named after its development.

The new park's name will be chosen based on four criteria:

• Community: The park will be the largest park in North Liberty and, as such, the name needs to express that this is a park for the entire community, not a single neighborhood.
• Timeless: As North Liberty continues to grow on the west side of Highway 965, the park's name needs to continue to feel current.
• Native: Whatever name chosen should feel native to the area as a whole and the site in particular.
• Unique: The name should be unique to this park and avoid getting lost in a sea of names on a map.

“We want a name that feels like it's part of that area,” Bergus says. “We want it to feel natural, not like it's been shoe-horned in the neighborhood.”

It will be several years before the park is fully functional, but city leaders have already announced that it will be the home of the North Liberty Blues & BBQ celebration in 2014.

Other concepts discussed include a splash pad, and outdoor stage and several shelters that can be rented for private events.