Walter Smith request to Name McNamara Playground- Kirk Wright Memorial Playground.pdf — City Council/Public Finance and Economic Development Authority/Parking Authority, November 21, 2022

APPLICATION FOR PARKS, RECREATION AREAS

AND FACILITIES AND REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY

FACILITY NAMING
As a policy, parks, recreation areas, and facilities and Redevelopment Agency facilities shall be named in accordance with geographical, historical or ecological features indigenous to the park site or to the immediate vicinity of the site. Parks, recreation areas, and facilities and Redevelopment Agency facilities may be named for an individual (s) under the following conditions:

1. 'Where the individual has made a significant gift of land to the City of Merced and/or the Redevelopment Agency, or

2. In memoriam for an individual who has made a significant contribution to the City of Merced/Redevelopment Agency.

Recreational facilities or resource management areas within a park may be named for a corporation or an individual, living or deceased, who:

1. Has made a significant contribution to the protection of natural, cultural, or horticultural resources of the City of Merced, or

2. Has made substantial contributions to the advancement of commensurate types of recreational opportunities within the City of Merced, or

3. Has made significant contributions to the betterment of a specific park, consistent with the established criteria and standards for the designated facility.

In support of this policy, nominations for naming parks, recreational areas, and facilities and Redevelopment Agency facilities, shall be evaluated on the basis of the above criteria and upon appropriate documentation.

Person making nomination: (required) WALTER Smint
Address: (required)
Contact Phone Number:(required)
E-mail: (not required)
Kilk Wright Memorial Playgrand
Suggested Name:(required)
5 Biographical Information: (Explain) See attached letter Far lato.

Civic Involvement: (Explain)
Connection to Facility: (Please explain in depth)
Reason for Nomination: (Required)
6 Additional Comments: (required)
Date received By City staff: 7/18/22
Reviewed by: Ohnstorcher denser, Dinetar
Approved by: (Department Head)
Submit to City Council for Direction: September 61h, 2022 Date scheduled for review by Selection Committee:_ Aust 122,2022 Date person submiting nomination notified: July 18, 2022

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

MAY BE ATTACHED
7 Dear Members of the Merced City Recreation
and Parks Commission.

We the daughters o f
Mr. bick Wright as his next of Kin
agree as a Whole and endorse
walter Smih to proceed on Our bebalf
Wth the naming of the playground
located at McNamara Park in Meced
a " The Kirk Wright Memonal Playground".
n honor of our father. If you have
any questions please call us at
Phank Yue
mane
Hama
June 22, 2022
Dear members of the Merced City Recreation & Parks Commission, We, the residents of Southside Merced, request the City of Merced Parks & Community Services Department name the recently completed playground facility at McNamara Park in honor of Mr. Kirk Wright who unexpectedly passed away November 9, 2021. Kirk Wright was a life long Southside Merced community member, a graduate of local schools, a McNamara pool lifeguard, a volunteer, a family man, and a mentor who tirelessly served the Southside Merced Community for over 45 years.

Kirk came to Merced in 1962 at the age of 8 with his Mother and four siblings. In the early years he attended school and worked along side his grandparents in the fields. While Kirk was at Merced High School he was inspirational in establishing the school's first Black Student Union (BSU) and played in the Merced High School Band. In his late teen years Kirk began working as an intern with Charlie Huddleston. As he interned with Charlie and life guarded the pool during the day, Kirk worked nights in the family's custodial business. In 1974 Kirk joined the Teamsters Union and began working at Ragu in Lipton where he eventually retired. Not an idle man and yearning to continue serving his community, Kirk returned to college in 2001. He earned a counseling degree and began his second career as a drug & alcohol counselor in the Merced DUI Programs. After 10 years of providing drug & alcohol counseling services to the local community, Kirk again retired. This time Kirk immersed himself fully into his family and the community he so loved until his passing.

Kirk was always involved in his community from organizing the first Black Student Union at Merced High School, to renaming J St. to Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, to hosting Easter Egg Hunts, Juneteenth Celebrations, free swimming in the summer at McNamara Pool, Drug & Alcohol counseling and much more. What better way to honor Kirk Wright's legacy in his community than to proudly name the recently completed playground at McNamara Park The Kirk Wright Memorial Playground! Sincerely,
The residents of Southside Merced