Residents offer 'Sugar Creek' and indigenous-language names as commission narrows park-name list

Members of the public at the June 18 Garden Village Commission meeting offered several naming suggestions for the new park at South Villa Avenue and Julia and urged the commission to consider natural features, history, and native-plantings when finalizing options.

Resident Cheryl Tucker urged commissioners to account for site conditions — notably that the parcel has been used for stormwater detention and remains in a floodplain — and proposed "Sugar Creek Park" to reflect the waterway running through the site. "My suggestion would be... since it does have Sugar Creek flowing through it to name it Sugar Creek Park," she told commissioners.

Resident Vicki Fitz Morris said she supports native-plantings and recommended using a local indigenous-language word related to ducks — variations she cited included "shishibin," "chibas," and similar dialectal forms — as a culturally rooted naming option. "There's a word in the Pawatami language for duck ... shishibin," she said, adding that the site’s ducks are a long-standing neighborhood feature.

Chair Pete Sultz explained the commission’s planned process: compile the names recommended so far, post a preliminary list on the village website or Facebook, and then hold a public vote. Commissioners asked staff (Lily, Kevin, Tina) to confirm deadlines for name submissions and to assemble the formal recommendation to the village board so the shortlist can be posted for public input.

Next steps: commissioners will gather previously suggested names, ensure entries conform with technical and site restrictions (for example, floodplain limits on certain amenities), and bring a final recommendation-ready list to the next meeting for forwarding to the village for public voting.