The commission considers a proposal to change the name of
By SHANNON TAN
Published August 31, 2004
S Greenwood Avenue to honor the slain civil rights leader. Several officials favor the change.
LARGO - City officials say they support a proposal to rename S Greenwood Avenue after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The renaming, which will be discussed at tonight's work session, will not be the only way Largo honors King.
It's an attempt to be consistent when the same street is called S Greenwood Avenue on the Largo side and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue on the Clearwater side, commissioners said.
Clearwater officials have already renamed their city's portion of the road north of Belleair Road after the slain civil rights leader.
After stumbling upon the intersection, Mayor Bob Jackson asked city staff to look into whether it was feasible to rename S Greenwood Avenue, which is about a quarter of a mile long.
But then the city's Martin Luther King Memorial committee rejected the proposal, saying it was too insignificant a move.
Anne Scofield, a committee member, said commissioners should discuss completing the proposed memorial in Largo Central Park before delving into the street renaming idea.
The committee has suggested creating a memorial plaza that would include a reflecting pool and a granite lectern engraved with King's picture. The $19,100 project is on hold while officials decide what to do with the existing library building next to the proposed plaza.
"The memorial is still going to be built," said Vice Mayor Pat Gerard, who supports the renaming. "I think it makes good sense in terms of having one street named one thing."
If the commission approves the proposal, it will vote on a resolution to rename the street. The request will then be submitted to the county's public works department and Pinellas County commissioners for formal approval.
The process is expected to take approximately three months.
"I'm going to support it because it seems like the appropriate thing to do," Commissioner Charlie Harper said. He noted that the renaming "should not be the city's final response" in honoring King.
"I don't think this is a Martin Luther King issue," Commissioner Pat Burke said. "I'm in favor of naming it the same name as Clearwater is naming it."
Largo remains one of the few cities in Pinellas County without a King street. Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Safety Harbor and Dunedin have all named streets after King.
