Answers to requests for naming public facilities in Ames will soon be available to the community, once the City Council finalizes the policy.

A naming policy was drafted back in February and came before the City Council again on Tuesday to discuss the issue of naming public places in Ames.

City Council member Amber Corrieri, at-large representative, explained that the issue was originally brought up when the family and friends of Georgie Tsushima requested the skate park be named after him. 

Tsushima, who had ties to the skateboarding community and was committed to gaining interest in the activity among Ames youth, passed due to complications from a skateboarding injury which he had originally recovered from.

When the request was put in, Park and Recreation staff suggested the Parks and Recreation Commission consider a naming policy before acting on requests.

The policy was then introduced in February and accepted because of the flexibility it gave the Commission.

Corrieri said that besides the Tsushima request, Northridge Heights and Roosevelt Park have also been requested by community members to name after contributors.

While there is no current formal policy for naming public spaces within the city of Ames, there have been facilities named after people that were previously approved by the council. An example is the Furman Aquatic Center named after the Furman family for their generous contribution to its construction.

The drafted policy will cover naming opportunities in three categories—historical events, people or places, outstanding individuals and donors.

Naming policies based on donors are common, but the fact that Ames has also included an opportunity for facilities to be named after people that have made significant non-monetary contributions is the basis of the new policy.

Corrieri appreciates that the new policy will allow flexibility for the Commission when requests are entered.

“I believe that it certainly reflects the culture of Ames to be able to name parks and facilities for both donors and outstanding individuals,” Corrieri says.

As they wait for an answer, the friends and family of Tsushima have garnered support from the community on their efforts. The group has created a Facebook page called “Georgie Tsushima Memorial Park” that includes Tsushima’s history in Ames and his contribution to the skateboarding community.