Fort Smith board adopts policy on city street names

City clears the way for Albert Pike Avenue change

Albert Pike Avenue sign in Fort Smith
Albert Pike Avenue sign in Fort Smith

FORT SMITH -- Arkansas' second-largest city can now move forward with changing the name of a street christened after a Confederate general should it be proposed.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved a resolution adopting a revised policy for the naming of city buildings, facilities and streets during a meeting Tuesday. Five city directors voted in favor of the resolution. Two others, Ward 4 City Director George Catsavis and At-Large Position 7 City Director Neal Martin, voted against it.

Fort Smith City Administrator Carl Geffken wrote in an email to the board on Aug. 25 that a revised naming policy should be approved before considering changing the name of Albert Pike Avenue in the city.

This came about after the Fort Smith School Board unanimously approved a resolution on Aug. 24 expressing its intent to adopt a new name for Albert Pike Elementary School for the 2021-22 school year. The resolution stated that Pike, a Confederate general, joined a petition in 1858 to "expel all free blacks from the State of Arkansas." He also wrote in 1868 that "We mean that the white race, and that race alone, shall govern this country. It is the only one that is fit to govern, and it is the only one that shall."

Ward 2 City Director Andre' Good has said he has gotten emails, messages and texts from his constituents about renaming Albert Pike Avenue.

On Thursday, Good said that although he will propose changing the name of the street to the board of directors if necessary, he believes that it would be "a better look" for this to come from a citizen, a group of citizens, or another board member.

"The school board approved the name change from Albert Pike ... so there is criteria supporting the name change, and if there is that supporting criteria, it shouldn't rest upon the board's only African American to make this request," Good said.

Good said he wants to find out the cost to rename Albert Pike Avenue during a future study session.

"... If the cost is not too high, and I don't know how high is too high, but if the cost is not such that it is definitely going to be harmful on citizens or damage the city's budget, I think we should move forward in correcting something that had taken place long before we got here to set an agenda for white supremacy, and that's all it basically is," Good said. "All the monuments and things that were going on during Jim Crow was to further remind the community that these statues and flags were flown in and monuments set in that that pride of the Confederacy was still here."

The board previously discussed this revised policy during a study session Sept. 8, with certain changes being suggested.

Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman wrote in a memo that it was mentioned then that items from the state naming requirements could be incorporated into the policy. The policy was amended afterward to include a reference to Arkansas Code Annotated 25-1-121, which sets forth naming requirements for public facilities that are at least partially paid for by public funds of the state, or a county or city. Said reference states that naming facilities, buildings or streets for individuals will comply with the law's provisions.

In the new section that concerns renaming streets, the revised policy states doing so is strongly discouraged.

"Efforts to change the name of a street should be subject to the most critical examination due to factors related to commerce, public safety response, cost to the public for implementing the name change, and other economic implications or hardships to property owners along the street that might be associated with changing address designations," the revised policy states.

The policy goes on to say that streets named after individuals should not be changed unless it is discovered that the personal character of the individual in question "is or was such that the continued use of their name for a facility would not be in the best interest of the community." Renaming a street can come from either the Board of Directors or by petition from Fort Smith residents who own property along that street.

The proposal states that petitions or requests pertaining to changing a street's name will be forwarded to the city administrator. The city administrator will then forward the requests to the engineering and streets departments to analyze the number of properties, parcels, structures and addresses that would be affected by changing the street name; the number of intersections along the street that would require replacement of street signage; and the estimated cost of materials and labor to make and install new signs to reflect the name change. The departments would also identify any issues regarding a changed street name in the 911 address database.

With all of the relevant information, the city administrator will forward the request to the Board of Directors as well as a recommendation as to whether it should be approved, according to the revised policy. The board will then make a decision concerning the recommendation.

"If the board determines the name change should move forward, such decision shall be publicized in a local newspaper for at least a four-week period and citizen comments shall be requested," the revised policy states.

"All property owners along the street to be renamed shall be specifically notified in writing of the pending name change during this period. The board shall consider all public comments received. At any time following the four-week public notice period and after considering all public comments received, the board may finalize the decision regarding renaming the street."

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