Confederate Park Renaming

Confederate Park Renaming


Confederate Park and Confederate Park Drive
The Belton City Council is in the process of considering new names for Confederate Park and Confederate Park Drive. This page is a place to find related information on this topic in a single place.

Formal Request Received
On June 10, Belton residents Luke and Kayla Potts made a formal request through the Belton Parks and Recreation Department to change the name of Confederate Park and Confederate Park Drive. The request does not suggest a specific new name for the park or street. Rather, it recommends forming a committee to assist with the renaming process. The Potts requested the name changes because they view the current names as unwelcoming and controversial and seek something more unifying, according to the request.

City Council Workshop
On July 14, the Belton City Council participated in a workshop to discuss the name change request. During their discussion the Council indicated a desire to move forward with the name change and to use the Parks Board to select and work with a committee to help facilitate the process. Since this meeting was a workshop, no formal decisions were made at this time, but the Council did direct staff to place the item on its next agenda for formal consideration.

Parks Board Workshop
On July 20, the Belton Parks Board participated in a workshop to discuss its role in the name change process. The Board was briefed on likely criteria for the name changes, which the Council discussed at its previous meeting. Each Parks Board member was asked to select two people to represent them on a newly formed Renaming Committee, a diverse group that will help facilitate the process for the Parks Board.

City Council Meeting
On July 28, the Belton City Council voted unanimously to change the name of Confederate Park and Confederate Park Drive and delegated name recommendations to the Parks Board.

Parks Board Meeting
On Aug. 5, the Parks Board, with assistance from the Renaming Committee, reduced the list of potential park and street names from 35 to 9.
Parks Board Meeting
On Aug. 17, the Parks Board reduced the list of potential park names to five and recommended that Confederate Park Way be renamed Veterans Way or Veterans Drive. The park names recommended for City Council consideration are Community, Fellowship, Liberty, Unity and Veterans.

City Council Meeting
Public Hearing scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22.