SAFFORD — Public input has created a change in approach when it comes to naming of Safford Parks.
Following the city asking the public for possible names for two parks under development — one at 8th Avenue and Discovery Park Boulevard, and the other at 14th Avenue and El Paso Boulevard — The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee is now changing its recommendations.
“Based on the votes on the votes cast by the community, and our committee voted on naming the two parks, the first after Mayor Jason Kouts on 8th and Discovery, and the second on El Paso after the Owens Family. Both votes were unanimous,” said Tim Linden with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
The committee originally suggested the park on 14th be called Partners Park and the park on 8th be named Legends Park.
“We would also like to suggest that future endeavors of listing legends in our community, where residents can purchase a brick or submit applications to recognize legends. These legends could potentially be recognized annually at a City Council meeting
The city currently has a Pride of Safford Committee, which accepts recommendations and presents an award to nominated residents and organizations that have served the community. The last Pride of Safford Award was presented in March 2024. There have been no nominations since that time.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee made its recommendations during Monday’s City Council work session. Final action on the recommendation will be taken by the council at a future regular meeting.
“I want to thank you, especially for Jason Kouts,” Mayor Richard Ortega said, “because he gave so much to the city.”
The city currently has three facilities named for residents: Firth Park is named for Charles Firth, a World War I veteran who served on the Safford City Council and was a director of the Chamber of Commerce; the Ed Ragland basketball courts at Safford Middle School, named for the director of the city’s youth basketball program and a former City Council member; and Safford Regional Airport-1Lt Duane Spalsbury Field, who was a former Army Air Corps aviator in World War II, and helped fund and was the first chairman of Mt. Graham Community Hospital.
Other facilities in Safford bearing citizens’ names were the decision of the Safford Unified School District’s governing board, including Dorothy Stinson, Lafe Nelson and Ruth Powell schools; the David M. Player Center for the Arts at Safford High School; and the Mark Tregaskes Hall inside the Center for the Arts.
