The intentions are worthwhile, but it’s impractical to think Berlin should name its newest park after a retired postal worker. James Tingle was my mailman in Berlin for many years. He also did a number of side projects at my house through his private business. Therefore, I know him and recall seeing him on a daily basis delivering the mail in one hand while talking on his cell phone in the other.
While I can understand the basic sentiment behind the concept floated of renaming Berlin Falls Park in his honor, I had to laugh when I saw this grassroots effort launched on Facebook last week. I laughed even harder when I noticed a hardcopy petition being circulated around town businesses.
Like many, I am not enamored and somewhat confused by the name of the new Berlin Falls Park, but it doesn’t bother me either. Secondly, there should be a long list of individuals ahead of Tingle when it comes to considering naming rights of the town’s vast park, which comes with high expectations as it develops over the years.
There have been many philanthropic individuals who have provided significant contributions to the community that is Berlin. These people volunteered their time to make the town a better place to live and work. These folks were visionaries for this small town and many of them did it outside of the limelight. They spent their dollars and volunteered their time to enrich the town. Many are still alive today, while most have died. These are the types of individuals who deserve consideration for naming rights. A civil servant with a unmistakable charm and personable approach to his job should be commended but my guess is even he would admit it’s a silly concept to consider naming a public park after him.
Mayor Gee Williams had the appropriate response when asked about it this week.
“From my perspective our small community is extraordinarily fortunate to have so many people like James Tingle, who give more to others than they receive, not for financial gain or recognition, but because it is a natural extension of their character. I believe it would be folly for the Town of Berlin to honor one or two of these individuals while not providing equal recognition for all others,” Williams said. “I, along with the town council, have a responsibility to not only manage our community’s assets, but also to responsibly create and develop opportunities for all of our citizens to enjoy an uncommon quality of life both in the immediate years ahead and for future generations. This is the premise behind the multi-generational opportunity for what we at this early stage call ‘Berlin Falls Park.’ Real opportunities, real public assets are built on much, much more than good intentions. While the Mayor and Council continue a tradition of doing what we can within our local governmental sector of responsibility to make Berlin a better and better place, we also know turning ideas and dreams into reality is absolutely dependent on marshalling the financial resources needed over time from every part of our community. Public assets, especially with the exciting potential of Berlin Falls Park cannot be built on good intentions alone. Someone, in this case, the Mayor and Council of Berlin, must take a deliberate, pragmatic and financially responsible approach towards transforming the many great ideas proposed for its use, into reality.”
Williams then touched on the business side of naming public facilities.
“So, if anyone has a six-figure financial gift ready to give the town for the purpose of a naming opportunity to honor James Tingle, or any number of other honorable current or past citizens of Berlin, then by all means contact me, because then and only then, will we have something to talk about,” the mayor concluded.
It’s amazing how much publicity the Town of Berlin receives on a seemingly weekly basis. This week, for example, was a double dose of free publicity that will serve the town well for some time.
In the more prestigious of the two mentions this week, Country Living magazine listed “40 American Towns You Haven’t Heard Of But Should Visit ASAP.”
Berlin’s photo was of the front porch of the Atlantic Hotel and accompany text read, “If you need proof that this quaint town is Hollywood-approved, both Runaway Bride and Tuck Everlasting were filmed here. And it’s not surprising why: Strolling the streets and visiting the antique shops instantly make you forget what year it is (in a good way).
Some other towns named included Damariscotta, Me., Galena, Ill., Welch, W.Va., Corning, N.Y., Keene, N.H., Marietta, Ohio, Frederick, Md. and Damascus, Va.,
As if that wasn’t enough, a website, www.onlyinyourstate.com, listed Berlin as No. 1 on the “10 Most Enchanting, Magical Christmas Towns in Maryland” list. Rounding out the top 10 were St. Michaels, Cumberland, Frederick, Ellicott City, Annapolis, Baltimore, National Harbor, Ocean City and Cambridge.
