---

Last week’s call for residents to participate in the Springwood Avenue Park Naming was immediately met with suggestions made via social media that included everyone from Danny DeVito to Walter Read and Pastor Derinzer Johnson of St. Stephen AME Zion Church.

“It’s a decision we didn’t want to make in a vacuum,” said City Council member Yvonne Clayton. “We wanted to invite input from the whole community.”

Participants were asked to nominate an Asbury resident who dedicated themselves to the service of Asbury Park, and especially the west side of the city, according to a news release.

“The park is hopefully the rejuvenation of the southwest quadrant of Asbury Park,” said Dan Harris, who co-chairs the Springwood Avenue Park Naming Committee with Mayor John Moor. “We thought, what better way to jump-start it than by honoring someone who came before, who represented Springwood Avenue and the southwest quadrant in the area’s heyday?”

On Monday the Asbury Park Historical Society [APHS] tossed their hat in the ring by suggesting not one individual but a word that represents the beat of the neighborhood.

In a letter by APHS president Don Stine, the name “Harmony Park” was offered.

“It is a reflection of the musical and vocal harmony talents of many well-known West Side musicians [deserving to be recognized], yet also those residents that sought to bring civic change and social harmony to Asbury Park over the years,” Stine wrote.

The 1.3 acre park, currently under construction, is located along Springwood, between Atkins and Union avenues. It will be the west side community’s first public park, complete with a courtyard, playground, fountain, recreation field, chess tables, a civic plaza and stage for live music and outdoor film screenings, a walkway/jogging track, benches, and additional trees, according to development plans.

“By adopting the name Harmony Park, the city not only recognizes the contributions of musicians like Lenny Welch, Bobby Thomas, the Broadways, Nicky Addeo, Sammy Pugh, and various club owners, but it also honors well-known civic-minded West Side friends and residents,” Stine said, naming Lorenzo Harris Sr. and his son Dr. Lorenzo Harris II, former police chief, mayor and State Assemblyman Thomas Smith, Dr. Sebastian Vaccaro, athlete Frank Budd, and community activists Willie Hamm and Donald Hammary Sr. as examples.

“We suggest a placard or sign be placed at the park recognizing these people [and] explaining what the park, “the harmony,” represents to Asbury Park residents, especially those from the city’s West Side,” Stine said.

Name nominations can be submitted until Feb. 15 via Communication’s Director Hannah Walker at communications@cityofasburypark.com. The names will be reviewed by the Naming Committee, and the ultimate name will be selected from among the nominations.

“Springwood Avenue is a place that people come back to, that they feel pride in and ownership of,” Councilman Jesse Kendle said. “It had a thriving community of its own through every part of the twentieth century up though the 50s, the 60s, and 70s. That should be honored.”

The road to fund the $1.3 million park was not an easy one, with starts and stops along the way to secure funding. Below is an APTV video on The Monmouth County Conservation Foundation $150,000 grant that helped close the funding shortfall. Park construction began in October.

————————————————————————-

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---