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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-06-14 PACKET 05.B.Cottage J Grove here OSPerity Meet Pride and Pr TO: Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation FROM: Mike Mrosla, Senior Planner DATE: June 14, 2022 RE: William Crocket Fields at Hamlet Park Plaque Discussion Background At a previous meeting, the ACHP discussed naming the new ballfields at Hamlet Park after William Crockett. William Crockett grew up in Cottage Grove and was a 1st Lieutenant in the US Air Force who served in the Vietnam War. He belonged to the 7th Air Force, 366 Tactical Fighter Wing, 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron. Mr. Crockett was killed in action on August 22, 1972, at the age of 25. The ACHP approved a motion that the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resource Commission con- sider naming the new ballfields at Hamlet Park after William Crockett. At their September 13, 2021, meeting the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resource Commission approved naming the new ball - fields William Crocket Fields at Hamlet Park. The City Council formally approved the name at their December 1, 2021, meeting (Attachment A). Discussion Parks Director Zac Dockter is currently requesting the ACHP's direction on the design of the pro- posed plaque and in remembrance language. The Parks Director recommends the plaque design shown below. Recommended Plaque Design William Crocket Fields at Hamlet Park Plaque Discussion June 14, 2022 Page 2 of 2 The plaque could include Mr. Crockett's photo and the language below provided by Chair Reckinger: IN HONORED MEMORY WILLIAM JAMES CROCKETT GREW UP ON HADLEY AVENUE 1964 PARK HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE WENT MISSING IN ACTION IN VIETNAM AUGUST 8, 1972 AS AN AIR FORCE FIRST LIEUTENANT MAY HE NEVER BE FORGOTTEN Recommendation Provide a recommendation on the proposed plaque and memory language. City Council Action Request Cottage J Grove If -here Pride and Prp5gerity Meet Meeting Date 12/1/2021 Department Parks and Recreation Agenda Category Consent Agenda 7E Title Park Naming Request - Crockett Fields at Hamlet Park Staff Consider the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Recommendation Commission's request to name the Hamlet Park South baseball field complex "Crockett Fields at Hamlet Park". Budget Implication No cost implications at this time. Attachments Council Memo -Crockett Fields Naming.tif 15.05MB Crockett Naming Applicatioin.tif 4.34MB Crockett Field Supporiting Info f_Reckinger.tif 3.84MB Park Naming Policy.tif 5.3MB MmCottage Grove here Pride and Prosperity Meet To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Zac Dockter, Parks and Recreation Director Cc: Date: November 16, 2021 Subject: Park Naming Request — Crockett Fields at Hamlet Park Introduction/Background The attached park naming request application was received by staff and reviewed by the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission (PRNRC). The City's Park Naming Policy is included in this report to aid the City Council in processing the request. All policy procedures were followed and the final step is City Council action. At its' August, September and November meetings, the PRNRC reviewed a park naming application for William Crockett. During initial meeting deliberations, Commissioners asked staff to do additional research on the topic and provide options on how this request might be fulfilled in a manner that does not rename Hamlet Park entirely so as to keep the historical context and reference of the park. At its September meeting, the Commission considered the additional staff information and recommended all new baseball fields at Hamlet Park South be renamed "William Crockett Fields at Hamlet Park". Some facts to consider along with the attached report on William Crockett are below: 1. There were 1,557 United States missing in action soldiers during the Vietnam War. 2. There were 33 Minnesota missing in action soldiers during the Vietnam War. 3. There was just one Cottage Grove missing in action soldier during the Vietnam War. 4. William Crockett has a memorial marker at Fort Snelling but no one knows what is buried there (as is common with all missing in action soldiers) 5. William grew up just a few blocks from Hamlet Park at 8753 Hadley Avenue S. It is presumed he spent much time playing at Hamlet Park like so many in that neighborhood did; Cottage Grove's oldest and largest park. The Commission recommended a physical symbol be considered to symbolize the name's significance and tell the intended story. Although options are truly vast, below are some examples of memorials that may be helpful in brainstorming what a dedication could look like. A good resource for developing this type of memorial would be the Advisory Commission for Historical Preservation. No further changes to signage or other naming recognition requests were made by the Commission. And since the complex is new, the naming transition could be done organically as opportunities to display the name are available. It should be noted that no budget has been allocated towards any signage or memorials in regards to this park renaming request at this time. In compliance with the Park Naming Policy, the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources had one final review of the park naming request on November 8, 2021 and recommended that City Council name the south baseball field complex "Crockett Fields at Hamlet Park". Staff Recommendation Consider the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission's request to name the Hamlet Park South baseball field complex "Crockett Fields at Hamlet Park". V'16W, r 1: 1 LJ ri k n n Of AII'WLi-r---. p ,KA VV (is ARMY m I SS INKC-01R� ACT,ON NovEMBER NATIVE OF A*107 FORGO' NEW CASTLE CO DELAW AR ..... .. .... DOWMla ,a CDT k Uy'— I- , " 41., � pu I W-W-,g 49C I" I GM Applicant Name: /J � -- k i S-e7 C�, ) ✓' - 1 C Address: S � % � /,.r-t .�v . , �/ �t v. (7�w�, Telephone Number: (H) b i�� y j' ✓; 9 j (W) Existing Facility Name: )�/C Yd L-1, Proposed Name/Rename: 1. C ( %Y C - 2. �-11 3. Please list reasons for proposed name(s): A -t---W � /� �- -P William James Crockett William Crockett was a 1st Lieutenant in the US Air Force who served in Vietnam. He belonged to the 7th Air Force, 366 Tactical Fighter Wing, 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was killed in action on August 22, 1972 at the age of 25. Bill's home of record is Cottage Grove. He lived at 8753 Hadley Street, very near Hamlet Park. His parents were William and Dorothy (Bifulk) Crockett. His sister is Gail Stanghelle. At the time of his death, Bill was married to Jan and lived at 1081 East 29th Street, San Bernadino, California. Bill Crockett graduated with the class of 1964 at Park High School. A good account of Bill and Major Lee Tigner's deaths are in this remembrance from the website- THE WALL -USA: Roy Spencer Vietnam Veteran -Air Force Pilot F-4H Crew of Heroes On August 22, 1972, Major Tigner and First Lieutenant Crockett were the crew in an F-4H, one in a flight of four on a combat mission over Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Their aircraft was hit by hostile ground fire in the right wing and the wing separated from the aircraft. It rolled and within two to five seconds after being hit had crashed into the ground at a speed of 450 knots, skipped, and came to rest in the river at Quang Tri City, Quang Tri Province. No one was seen to eject from the aircraft before it crashed and there were no electronic beepers heard. Both crewmen were killed in action, body not recovered. Aug 22, 2012 Both men were MIA and two subsequent inspections of the crash site in July and November of 1974 produced clothing, boots, human remains and aircraft parts. Major Tigner has a marker at Arlington National Cemetery and William Crockett has a marker at Fort Snelling Cemetery. William Crockett's parents lived long lives. Both are buried at Fort Snelling. William Sr was 92 when he died in 2010. He served in World War II and Korea. He is buried alongside Dorothy who was 91 when she died on October 4, 2014. Dorothy might have lived 4 years without her husband but she lived 42 years without her son- William Crockett. Both parents lived a long life without ever knowing for sure how their son met his end. William Crockett's sister Gail Stanghelle submitted pictures, a story, and three of his last letters home to both the PBS TPT Story Wall and the VVMF. Gail only wants her brother remembered. WILLIAM CROCKETT From: H W RECKINGER JR <nreckinger@msn.com> Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2020 11:02 AM To: zac dockter <zdockter@cottagegrovemn.gov>; zac dockter <zdockter@cottage-grove.org>; Zac Dockter <zacdockter@hotmail.com> Subject: Ball Fields Zac, I thought I would write you about my thoughts about the new ball fields over by Hamlet. I bike past there when the Dunes SNA area is too wet in the mornings, but that is not a problem now. The fields are shaping up nicely and it sure looks like there could be 2 more fields added later. I would imagine the fields will get a name and that's what I'm writing about. Hamlet Park is not named after a hamlet. It's named after a street nearby that starts with an H, in the alphabet system used in a lot of metro towns. I more prefer parks and street to be named after individuals who resided or left a mark here. A great example, but it's not in Cottage Grove, is the Whitbred Park, in St Paul Park. Charlie Whitbred Sr died in 1962, after fighting a fire at the old Applebaum's grocery store. Charlie has his name on the Minnesota Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of our state capitol in St Paul. The young man I'm talking about is named on the Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Memorial, just a very short walk from the firefighters memorial. His name was William Crockett. We have 7 men who were killed in Vietnam from St Paul Park and Cottage Grove. Two of them only lived here a short time after their senior years at Mora, MN and Boyceville, WI. Another died in Vietnam while his 1971 Park/Cottage Grove classmates were in the second month of their senior year. 3 of them died and were 1967 graduates from Park/Cottage Grove High School. One of those 3 was Arnold Ades, a nephew of Charlie Whitbred Sr. It's the seventh man I'm writing about. He was the oldest of our 7 guys and the last of them to die in Vietnam. Most people don't know that we have an MIA from our area who died in Vietnam. A lot of people don't know what MIA means and almost all of us have never heard of William Crockett. He was a 1964 graduate of St Paul Park High School. He was a Lieutenant in the Air Force and went missing in 1972 with another officer when their jet crashed into a river bank. Here is the VVMF page for William Crockett. I attached a short biography of him: https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/11159/WlLLIAM-J-CROCKETT/ Click on VIEW ALL PHOTOS and you can use the arrows to see his graduation and tennis team picture from the class of 1964. His in -country pictures were sent to me by his sister Gail, 2 years ago. William Crockett is not too hard to pick out in a crowd. If you scroll down from his picture area, you can see what others have written. I transcribed 3 of Crockett's last 3 letters home. Those are first. I also submitted his hand written and typed versions. Crockett tries to calm the concerns of his family, but in the last letter you can tell he is worried himself. You can also see the letters and a few of the pictures on the PBS TPT website: https://www.mnvietnam.org/story/never-the-same/ MIA families suffered an additional anguish in not giving up and not knowing how it all may have ended for their loved one. I have submitted pictures for thousands of fallen Vietnam soldiers and I can't imagine or begin to put myself in their place. Bill Crockett does have a MM (Memorial Marker) at Fort Snelling among other MIAs. His Dad lived until 2010 and his Mother died in 2014. They lived all of those years without knowing. Bill Crockett never went to Park/Cottage Grove High School. He graduated in 64 and went to the old high school in the Park, but, he did live in Cottage Grove. The family lived at 8753 Hadley, a nicely kept rambler and only about 3 short blocks to Hamlet Park. So Zac, if folks are looking to name the new fields, I would ask consideration for William Crockett. Thanks, Herb 0t_y of Cottage Grove Policy for Naming and Renaming of Parks, Park Facilities, and Own Space L Introduction The selection of a proper name for a park, park facility, and/or open space is a thoughtful process which requires careful analysis by many people. This procedure has been adopted by the City of Cottage Grove to provide the proper guidelines for any naming or renaming of said amenities. IL Procedure The following procedure will be used for the naming of parks, park facilities, and open space: I . Staff, Council, Advisory Body, or Cottage Grove resident recognizes and requests the naming of a park, park facility, or open space. 2. Staff will prepare and submit the request to the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission for review. 3. The Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission will discuss the merit of the name(s). If there is a list of potential names, they may be added to or eliminated from the list at this time. No formal recommendation will be made at this meeting. 4. At the subsequent Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission meeting, staff will provide any information requested by the Commission. If there is a list of names, the list should be narrowed to three at this meeting. No formal recommendation will be made at this point. 5. At their next meeting, the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission shall debate the merits of the remaining name(s) and make a final recommendation to the City Council. 6. The recommendation will then be placed on the next regular City Council meeting. If City Council does not approve the recommended name, they will return the issue to the Commission with direction and the process will begin anew. III. Park, Park Facility, and Open Space Naming Criteria Listed below are the criteria used to determine the naming or renaming of Parks, Park Facilities, and Open Spaces. 1. The name of the subdivision associated with the Park. 2. The name of the neighborhood in which the park is located. 3. The street name adjacent to or closely identified with the park. 4. The name of a local interest point, or local focal point near the park. 5. The name of an event or historical occurrence associated with the park or area. 6. The name of a person who dedicates a major part or all of the land for the park. 7. The name of a person of significant stature within the community. He/she must adhere to at least one of the following credentials and complete a waiting period of at least six months from the conclusion of service or time of death: a. At least ten years of local service to the community b. Shown outstanding assistance or support of the local park system c. Major financial donor to the park system d. A historical figure or family VIIL Final Determinations The City Council reserves all rights in the naming or renaming of all parks, park facilities, or open spaces.