Officials in Tucson are asking members of the public to weigh in on a proposal to rename the city’s Christopher Columbus Park.
Tucsonans head to Christopher Columbus Park to bird watch and fish in Silverbell Lake. It was called Silverbell Park up until the 1990s, when it was renamed by the local Knights of Columbus chapter.
Now locals want to rename the park again — this time after Danny Lopez, a celebrated Tohono O’odham elder and cultural educator who died in 2008.
Azul Navarrete-Valera says the effort began in 2020, when she and other members of Tucson Native Youth Council were approached by Tucson Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz’s office and asked to help rename the site.
“We all don’t like that name, we think that it’s super outdated, and it does not represent Tucson at all, its morals, its identity, its people,” she said. “We began to start looking for a name, we really wanted it to be an Indigenous person, specifically from Arizona, it would be better if it was from Tucson.”
Navarrete-Valera said previous efforts to rename the park had been slowed because a new namesake had not yet been identified. Things moved forward when community members suggested Danny Lopez and members of his family gave their blessing in a letter to city officials.
Tucson City Councilmembers Santa Cruz and Kevin Dahl are splitting the $10,000 cost to rename the site. Navarrete-Valera it will cover sign replacements and other fees.
The 45-day public comment period began Friday.
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