What's In A Name? Northport Officials Debate New Name For 28th Street

NORTHPORT, AL — Northport city officials had a long list of questions on Monday regarding a request by Mayor Bobby Herndon to rename a specific stretch of 28th Street.

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As Patch previously reported, Herndon filed the petition to name the section of 28th Street between 20th Avenue and Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard to "Benevolent Way." The mayor's surveying office — Herndon, Hicks & Associates — is located on this portion of 28th Street, which is regularly used as donation space to collect items during times of crisis outside the city.

The matter was taken up on Monday by the Council's Public Safety Committee, with committee members ultimately putting the matter on hold as it mulls the various impacts.

Continuity was one of the main talking points, centering on the basic concept of changing 28th Street from a street to a "way."

"If you're going to change your street name, we need to at least be consistent with if it's a street or avenue," City Engineer Tera Tubbs said. "I would prefer just street ... I think we should stay with street, from a way-finding perspective."

District 4 Councilwoman Jamie Dykes also openly pondered that renaming a street could open the door for an influx of other half-baked street renaming proposals.

"Are we going to have every Tom, Dick and Harry come in here saying they want to name their block after their dead great-great-great grandmama who lived here? Dykes asked. "Are we opening that door?"

Tubbs pointed out that many cities have statutes in place prohibiting the renaming of streets for anything other than individuals who are no longer alive. She then provided examples such as Richard M. Scrushy Parkway in Fairfield, which has since been renamed after the disgraced founder of HealthSouth was convicted on a long list of federal corruption charges.

"Some cities have adopted that they won't rename a street unless it's for a person and only after that person has passed," Tubbs said. "Some won't do it at all. This is fine, though, if you have everything you need to make a decision."

Committee Chair and District 2 Councilman Woodrow Washington III ultimately suggested the committee table the measure and check with Herndon — who was not in attendance — before making any decision or changes to the proposal.

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