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Leon County
Board of County Commissioners Agenda Item#15 March 19, 2024 |
| To: | Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board |
| From: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
| Title: | Approval to Rename Wahnish Way to Althea Gibson Way |
| Review and Approval: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
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Department/Division Review and Approval: |
Ken Morris, Assistant County Administrator Ben Pingree, Assistant County Administrator Barry Wilcox Director, Development Support and Environmental Management |
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Lead Staff/ Project Team: |
Emma Smith, Director of Code Compliance Services Lisa Scott, Addressing Program Coordinator Mark Pritzl, Addressing Customer Service Technician |
Statement of Issue:
This item seeks Board adoption of a Resolution approving the renaming of Wahnish Way in its entirety, from FAMU Way to Bragg Drive, to “Althea Gibson Way”. At the request of Florida A&M University, the City Commission initiated the proposed street renaming. The request for street renaming is recommended for approval by the Addressing Steering Committee.
Fiscal Impact:
This item has no fiscal impact. Should the Board approve the requested street renaming, the cost of street sign replacement and installation will be incurred by the City of Tallahassee. Direct notice and advertising costs are included as part of the filing fees for the street renaming application.
Staff Recommendation:
Option # 1: Adopt the Resolution (Attachment #1) approving the City of Tallahassee Commission-initiated request to rename Wahnish Way in its entirety, from FAMU Way to Bragg Drive, to “Althea Gibson Way”.
Report and Discussion
Background:
This item seeks Board adoption of a Resolution (Attachment #1) approving a request from FAMU and formally initiated by the City of Tallahassee Commission for the renaming of Wahnish Way in its entirety, from FAMU Way to Bragg Drive, to “Althea Gibson Way”. The referenced street is located within City limits; however, in accordance with Article XI of the Leon County Land Development Code and Section 336.05, Florida Statutes, the Board has authority to name and rename streets within the unincorporated and incorporated areas, except for State roads designated by number.
The Uniform Street Naming and Property Numbering System Ordinance (Ordinance) provides the process for the City Commission to request a street name change. Requests for renaming initiated by the City Commission must be routed through the County Administrator who directs the Addressing Steering Committee (ASC) to conduct a review for public safety and consistency with the street naming criteria.
The membership and responsibilities of the ASC are defined in the Leon County/City of Tallahassee Addressing Policies and Procedures Operating Guidelines. Its overall responsibility is to review proposed street names for consistency with regulations, policy, and public safety; in addition to review of citizen input. The ASC consists of representatives from the Tallahassee Fire Department; Leon County Emergency Management; Tallahassee-Leon County Geographic Information System (GIS); Tallahassee Growth Management Department (TGM); Department of Planning, Land Management & Community Enhancement (PLACE); Leon County Department of Development Support and Environmental Management (DSEM); Leon County Property Appraiser’s Office; Consolidated Dispatch Agency (CDA); Leon County Emergency Medical Services (EMS); United States Postal Service; and the Leon County School Board. Technical support is provided to the ASC by representatives from County Public Works, City Traffic Engineering, Tallahassee-Leon County GIS, the Consolidated Dispatch Center, and the Supervisor of Elections Office.
On October 25, 2023, the City Commission directed City staff to initiate FAMU’s request for the renaming of Wahnish Way in its entirety, from FAMU Way to Bragg Drive, which is approximately 1.88 miles in length to commemorate Althea Gibson as one of FAMU’s trailblazing athletes, attending the university on a tennis and basketball scholarship, and graduating with her B.S. Degree in the early 1950’s. Consistent with the Ordinance and the procedures for street renaming initiated by the City Commission, the City Manager’s Office routed a request to initiate street renaming to the County Administrator on December 6, 2023 (Attachment #2). The County Administrator directed DSEM staff and the ASC to proceed with review of the proposed street name change for public safety and consistency with the Ordinance. On February 1, 2024, the ASC reviewed the street naming request for public safety and consistency with the Ordinance and recommended approval.
Althea Gibson was born in South Carolina and spent her formative years in New York. She was a world-renowned tennis player and professional golfer who broke many barriers defying the odds and succeeding in the world of tennis in the 1940’s and 50’s. Despite segregation, she fought for equality in a male-dominated field, becoming the first African American to compete in national and international tennis, paving the way for the likes of Arthur Ashe and Venus and Serena Williams. Ms. Gibson’s amazing tennis career included competing and winning in Grand Slam Tournaments throughout the U.S. and abroad. She was the first African American to win the French Open Championship in 1956 and the U.S. Open and Wimbledon Championships from 1957 through 1958. During the Wimbledon Open in 1957, she was presented the Venus Rosewater Dish by Queen Elizabeth II. Ms. Gibson also had success in the entertainment industry and performed as a talented vocalist and saxophonist. She made her professional singing debut at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1957 during the 84th birthday tribute for Mr. William Christoper Handy, an African American composer and musician. She signed with Dot Records and released the album Althea Gibson Sings, setting the stage for an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1964 at the age of 37, Ms. Gibson became the first African American to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Due to her competitive spirit throughout her extraordinary career, including overwhelming her competition in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, she became the first female inducted into FAMU’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.
Wahnish Way was originally named after Samuel Alfred Wahnish. Mr. Wahnish and his family relocated in 1902 from Jacksonville to Tallahassee after the Great Fire of Jacksonville. During which time his family established a tobacco farm naming it Wahnish Plantation and opened a cigar and packing business on Macomb Street. In 1966, at the suggestion of then City Commissioner John Rudd, the segment of Railroad Avenue passing through the FAMU campus was renamed in recognition of Mr. Wahnish for his service as Mayor-Commissioner from 1938 to 1941 and 45 years of state government service until his retirement in 1969. During the development of the Leon County Civic Center in 1978, Railroad Avenue and Macomb Street were later re-aligned from W. Augustine Street to the train depot.
Analysis:
Consistent with the Ordinance, Board or City Commission-initiated requests for street name changes require review by the ASC for public safety and consistency with the street naming criteria. On February 1, 2024, the ASC reviewed the request for renaming Wahnish Way in its entirety, from FAMU Way to Bragg Drive, to Althea Gibson Way. The street is located in the City of Tallahassee with a portion maintained by FAMU, and is approximately 1.88 miles in length with 66 addresses associated with the street name (Attachment #3). A direct mail notice was sent to all affected property owners, as set forth in the most recent County tax rolls, notifying them of the ASC’s meeting date of February 1, 2024, to discuss and consider the street renaming request. During the ASC meeting, the City’s Traffic Engineering staff was present to answer questions pertaining to the renaming request and there were no citizens or affected property owners wishing to speak on the matter. The ASC unanimously determined the proposed renaming of Wahnish Way to Althea Gibson Way to be consistent with the street naming criteria, does not create any public safety issues, and recommended Board approval.
Should the Board approve the renaming, a change of address notification will be provided to all affected property owners whose lands abut the street to be renamed (Attachment #4). In addition to the change of address notification, the impacted property owners are also provided U.S. Postal Service informational packets that include additional required actions. Once a street name change is adopted by the Board, public notice of the street name change is also provided in the form of an advertisement that is run in the local newspaper at least 30 days prior to the effective date of change. Any street considered for renaming will also have the numeric portion of their address reviewed and reassigned concurrently, if necessary, to correct numbering or sequencing issues. Street signs are designed to reflect the new street name and are prepared for installation. The cost for street signs and installation shall be borne by the City since the City Commission is requesting the street renaming. Once the street name change becomes effective, the Post Office will cross-reference the new address with the old address for a period up to one year from the effective date of change. Property owners will be responsible for notifying all tenants and lessees of address and street name changes.
Options:
Recommendation:
Option #1
Attachments: