Mayor Steve Noble has asked the Kingston Common Council to amend a law governing the naming of city facilities to make it easier for residents to sponsor things like trees and benches in city parks. Noble’s plan would not impact rules for naming parks, city buildings, streets or other major infrastructure.

In a May 1 letter to Common Council President Andrea Shaut, Noble asked lawmakers to consider amending the 2007 law to exclude “benches, trees and other small park amenities.” Noble said that the change would create opportunities for the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission to allow members of the public to sponsor items in city parks on behalf of deceased loved ones or city residents who have made a positive impact on the community.

Currently the renaming process requires members of the public or city officials to submit a written application to the city’s recreation commission outlining the design and cost of the proposed memorial. The law also requires that the memorialized person has been dead for at least one year and has made important contributions to the item or facility being named. The commission then passes the application on to the mayor, along with a recommendation on whether it should be approved or denied. If the mayor approves the application, it then goes to the Common Council where it must be approved by both the Laws and Rules Committee and the full council.

“It’s a lot to go through for a tree or a bench,” said Noble. “So, we thought we should remove those smaller items [from the ordinance] while leaving it in place for naming parks and buildings and things like that.”

Noble said that he hoped the change in the law would facilitate the implementation of some kind of sponsorship program to allow residents and organizations to name park infrastructure in exchange for donations in support of parks and recreation in the city.

“This is something that a lot of communities do and with these changes we can create our own sponsorship application and process for some of these smaller items,” said Noble. “We’re hoping this will speed up the process and make it more available and accessible to people who want to contribute to our parks.”