A portion of 11th Avenue is getting a second name.
Council Tuesday approved an honourary name change for the section of 11th Avenue between Cedar Street and Shoppers Row to Veteran’s Way.
Council held off on making the change until getting support from the Royal Canadian Legion.
“The Legion was contact by staff and the name change was reviewed at their executive meeting on September 18,” said Drew Hadfield, the city’s transportation manager, in a report to council. “The executive committee of the Campbell River Legion 137 supported the name change but their preference would be a permanent name change, in the future, versus an honourary name change.”
The city opted to go with the honourary name change to avoid change of address costs for the Legion, Uptown Willie’s, Britches and Hose Vintage Clothing and the Community Centre. A legal name change would have also required the city to create a new legal plan for the block and would have presented mapping issues for emergency responders, utility companies, and GPS devices. Hadfield said when it came down to it, the honourary name change presented fewer obstacles.
“The process of making an honourary name change would be limited to the cost of the signage; and would not create a small segment of an existing road being legally known under a different name,” Hadfield said. “Sign blades could be custom designed to provide the prominence of this honourary section of 11th Avenue.”
The sign blades will cost $500 and will be placed on 11th Avenue at the Cedar Street and Shoppers Row corners.
Hadfield noted that a number of communities across Canada, including Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Surrey, Golden, Yellowknife and several communities in Ontario have honourary road names to recognize their veterans. Mayor Walter Jakeway suggested Campbell River follow suit.