Temporary honorary street names for those who have contributed to the city now an option
A few years ago, City Council member Garrett Holloway said he was approached about naming a local street after a devoted resident. He was able to help make that happen, but in the process, he began exploring ways residents might be able to get a temporary name for city streets for others.
“This is fashioned after what Winston-Salem is doing,” he said after this week’s council meeting where the proposal for an Honorary Street Naming Program was approved.
The program “allows for the opportunity to honor people or groups who have made significant, positive impacts in the community,” according to the description. Proposals must be brought to the council by the mayor or a council member, and each council person may only have one active honorary street at a time. The name will be in place for two years, with an option to request a two year extension..
But Holloway wanted to make it clear that these names are temporary, do not take the place of official names, and will be on different signs posted under the existing green street name.
Honorary street signs will be brown and reflective silver or white, and “if someone calls for emergency services, like the fire department, they should not use the honorary name,” noted Holloway. Emergency dispatchers will still need the official street names and location.
The honorary designation will be for a single block and only city streets are eligible. Streets must be maintained by the city of Lexington and be within the city limits. Private streets, driveways, and/or state maintained thoroughfares are not eligible. The city’s website does have a listing of what streets the city maintains and which it does not, but Main Street, Center Street, and Fairview Drive are just a few that are not options.
“The streets that would be eligible are, I believe, mainly side streets,” noted Mayor Jason Hayes.
Individuals or groups that might be honored include “those having city-wide, positive impact or respected notoriety. Individual honorees are recommended posthumously. Commercial and corporate-related recognitions do not qualify for honorary recognitions,” according to the program rules. The application should include “the details of the intersection location and the desired honorary name. A justification for the honorary designation shall also be provided attached to or within the letter of submission.”
There is a $225 fee for the application, which covers the administrative cost to process the application and the cost of the sign. If the application is not approved, all but $25 will be refunded, and if it is approved, at the end of its tenure of two or four years, the sign is then presented to the applicant or their designee.
“It just seems like a wonderful way to recognize people who have, during their lives, done such good things for Lexington,” said Holloway.
