Residents submitted dozens of suggestions to name the new Old Town Goleta park at Kellogg and Hollister avenues, and a city committee narrowed the list to six finalists on Monday.
The city launched a contest in September to name the park, which is under construction at 170 S. Kellogg Ave.
Mayor Paula Perotte, Councilman Stuart Kasdin, and two community members — Lindsey Rojas and Jeff Oien — picked favorites from the list of 341 submissions.
The six finalists are:
» The Goodland Neighborhood Park.
» Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park.
» Esperanza Park.
» Kid’s Dream Park.
» Qasil Creek Park.
» Heló Village Park.
Qasil is a Chumash word meaning beautiful, according to the submission, and Heló Village is the name of a Mission-era Chumash town in the Goleta Valley.
Former councilman Ed Easton spoke eloquently in favor of naming the park for Wallis, who was a member of the first-ever City Council and longtime advocate for the Old Town neighborhood.
It would ensure that Wallis and her contributions to Goleta and to Old Town are remembered, he said at Monday’s meeting.
Suggestions came from residents all over the county and a few outside it, as well as some local elementary school students.
Names were redacted from the contest submissions, but the Kids Dream Park was suggested by a sixth-grade Hollister Elementary School student who picked the name “because it has mostly everything that a kid would want in a park. They could go there any time and have a great time.”
The Parks and Recreation Commission will review the list and refer a top choice or two back to the naming committee, which will make its recommendation to the full City Council in October, said Parks and Recreation Manager Joanne Plummer.
Many of the suggestions had similar themes, with variations on Goodland Park and Old Town Park and San Jose Creek Park.
Some of the names focused on city identity, such as Lemon Park and Monarch Butterfly Park, while others had fun with the park’s location — Hollogg, Hollilogg Lemon Park, Kelloster Park and KeHo Park for the intersection of Kellogg and Hollister.
People also suggested a long list of individual names, with more than 40 residents suggesting Wallis.
Some submissions were obviously never going to be considered, like the eight people who suggested Parky McParkface, or Its Not Condos (sic).
The park will have a multi-use field, pickleball court, bocce ball court, basketball court, skate plaza, playground area, parking, picnic structures, walking paths, game tables and more.
Construction is underway, and although the site is fenced off, Plummer said the city sometimes has to run kids off the skate park area, which has concrete poured already.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.