The name “Berlin Falls Park” is rubbing Berlin residents the wrong way. That’s part of the reason why the grassroots effort was launched to have the park named after James Tingle, a retired postal carrier who worked the streets of Berlin for three decades.
While we oppose the suggestion of naming the park after Tingle, we understand the motivation and premise behind finding a more suitable name for the large vast parcel that should in time be a valuable asset.
What people annoyed by the name choice for the former poultry plant property must understand is the concept is a work in progress. There is a reason why the name was chosen by town officials. According to Berlin Mayor Gee Williams, the Berlin Falls concept is part of a vision he and town officials have for the former poultry plant property off Old Ocean City Boulevard.
In an interview last December, Williams said, “We are now calling it — for the purposes of the label — the ‘Berlin Falls.’ Why are we calling it that? Because the initial feasibility study outlined about seven different concepts … one of those options offered creating a permanent, beautiful waterfall between those ponds. Do you realize the only time we have water in this town that’s not in pipes is when we have a very hard rain? We’re the only community in this region that does not have a natural water asset. We can have something unique to the entire Delmarva peninsula.”
Assuming the infrastructure will eventually be put in place to make the name relevant, we prefer to leave the current name as is and encourage community citizens to direct their efforts to naming certain aspects within the complex.
Rather than seeking out one individual to name the entire park after, we like the concept of opening up the various amenities, such as trails, ponds and landmarks, to naming opportunities. This would allow the community to add a sense of place to the unique aspects of the park worth celebrating.
Tingle, the retired mailman and business owner who is currently the subject of an informal petition that seeks to gather support for naming the entire park after him, should be considered for certain. We think a trail would be suitable for him considering he was often seen walking through town greeting citizens.
Other individuals deserving would be the many individuals who were responsible for the reincarnation of the historic district’s centerpiece, the Atlantic Hotel. Each of those individuals has an impressive list of community contributions to their credit.
Additionally, there’s potential to honor long-time elected officials, such as Paula Lynch, who served 26 years as a council person, and James Purnell, who served as the county’s first minority district representative for 20 years as well as being a school bus driver for decades.
Other opportunities we like would be to honor long-time educators who made a difference with young minds. Gwen Lehman, the long-time drama teacher at Stephen Decatur High School who influenced and inspired hundreds of students during her tenure, immediately comes to mind. Another is Constance Sturgis, a minority female teacher who died this year after being a champion of the youth as well as African-American history and culture.
We also embrace the idea of recognizing those local individuals who died while serving our country in some fashion at the park.
There are endless opportunities here to recognize distinguished citizens. Rather than focus on naming the park after a singular individual, which will be controversial no matter who is chosen, we prefer to spread these names of importance and consequence out throughout the park as a living tribute to the diverse nature of the community. That’s an effort we could get behind.
