Controversy surrounds name change of popular park By Samantha Tighe | Dec 11, 2014 Share on facebookShare on emailShare on twitterShare on printMore Sharing Services0BELLOWS FALLS — Village Trustees rejected a proposal to rename the park located at the intersection of School and Church streets, which is often referred to as Hetty Green Park, to Veteran Memorial Park. That decision has sparked ire within the Bellows Falls veteran community. Bellows Falls resident and veteran Douglas MacPhee approached the trustees during Tuesday night’s meeting, bringing with him 49 signatures that had been gathered during the Veteran’s Day dinner at the Pierce Lawton Post 37 American Legion. MacPhee said it wasn’t a petition — several signatures contained within it did not belong to Rockingham residents — but rather a show of support. The Department of Vermont Adjutant Linda Perham also submitted a letter to the Trustees, asking to consider the renaming. “We believe, that our community veterans have, as a whole, given unselfishly to our small Vermont village,” the letter read. “With your official naming of the park, you clearly show all area veterans that their commitment to our country is appreciated by the local government leaders. Trustee Stefan Golec made the motion to rename the park to Veteran Memorial Park but Trustees Charles Hunter, Colin James and Sanford “Sandy” Martin did not second the motion. Village President Nancy McAuliffe incorrectly believed she could not second the motion, though said she would have thrown support behind it. “I am very sad and angry that my local government would not allow a vote, taking, the coward’s way out by not committing,” MacPhee said. MacPhee went on to explain that the park is not located on the Hetty Green property — Hetty Green owned the property adjacent to it. Besides, he explained, she was more infamous than famous. “It is not officially named Hetty Green Park, either,” MacPhee added. McAuliffe agreed. Having lived by the park most of her life, McAuliffe said she had grown up referring to it as “the park down the street.” There was also no immediate documentation showing the park held the official name of “Hetty Green Park.” Colin James, who had declined to second the motion, said he wasn’t against veterans. “I just debated [changing the name of the park] because Hetty Green is an icon in the park,” James explained. “He [MacPhee] made it out to be that I disrespected veterans. Im saying that it can be both the park and the veterans memorial within the park. “It really hurt me that I was almost accused of not supporting our veterans,” James added. MacPhee, who says he’s angered enough to consider moving out of Bellows Falls, said this is something he’s not going to let go. “I do not want to live in a place that forgets it veterans, especially the 49 men from the town of Rockingham who died in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam and the hundreds that have been injured,” MacPhee said. McAuliffe said the name change request is not dead — it is something that can be brought up in future meetings. Now that she knows she is able to second a motion, McAuliffe said the rename would be something she could support. Although he is still against the proposed name change, James reaffirmed that he is does support veterans but believes there are more pressing issues the Trustees should be focusing on. “I never said I didnt [support veterans], and to be accused of somewhat almost saying that I dont is just ridiculous,” James said. “I said it was a waste of time because theres so many other issues in our village that we need to be working on.” Staff reporter Katlyn Proctor contributed to this report.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:05:07 +0000
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