OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Anchorage Public Naming Commission Meeting - May 15, 2026: Library and Park Renamings, Officer Elections

Assembly & Committee Meetings — Friday, May 15, 2026
BodyAnchorage, Alaska
SessionAssembly & Committee Meetings
DateFriday, May 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:50
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

All right, good afternoon.

0:01

I'd like to call this meeting of the May meeting of the public naming commission to order.

0:11

Jasmine, could you call the roll, please?

0:15

Member Harrison.

0:17

Here.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Chair has.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Chair, you do not have a quorum.

0:25

Thank you.

0:27

Would somebody like to volunteer to do the land acknowledgement?

0:34

Okay.

0:35

All right, Jen.

0:37

Just the two.

0:40

A land acknowledgement is formal statement recognizing indigenous people of a place.

0:45

It is a public gesture of appreciation for the past and present indigenous stewardship of the lands that we have.

0:51

It's an actionable statement that marks our collective movement towards decolonization and equity.

0:57

The public naming commission would like to acknowledge that we gathered down the traditional lines of the deny and a half passions for thousands of years of the deny and a half and continue to be the stewards of the Senate.

1:05

It's with gratitude and respect that we recognize the contributions, innovations and contemporary perspectives of the upper companion tonight.

1:15

Thank you, Jen.

1:16

We don't have a quorum, so we can't approve the agenda or bar the minutes of the November, December, and March meetings.

1:25

We don't have any unfinished business.

1:29

Well, first new item, item of business, new new business is to elect the chair and vice chair.

1:36

We don't have a quorum, so we can't do that.

1:39

But we can hear the request, the proposal if anybody would like to speak on the request to rename to name the new downtown library.

1:55

Oh, Chair, can I just mention who's absent real quick?

1:58

Pardon me?

1:58

Can I just mention who's absent?

2:00

Okay.

2:02

Members Heller, Gupta, and Khan are absent.

2:05

Thank you.

2:07

Come forward.

2:10

Grab a microphone, introduce yourself, please.

2:13

Not that we don't know who you are.

2:19

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Nikolai.

2:21

I'm the assistant director of the Anchorage Public Library.

2:27

Um to name the downtown library, or the proposed downtown library, which is open to hope to open in early 2027.

2:36

Um, the Anchorage Original Town Site Downtown Library.

2:39

This library is funded entirely by a grant from the state of Alaska, as well as a bequest from Ms.

2:47

Janet Getz and within her will and bequest, which not only which will fund 12 years of operation, was the name Anchorage Original Townsite Library.

2:58

We have added the downtown as it is the policy of the Anchor Foul Library to, as we named locations added geographic distinction to the library.

3:08

We do, I do understand you don't have a quorum.

3:11

I'm so excited to learn about the future steps.

3:13

Um we expect to begin construction this summer on this library, and we need to order a sign.

3:19

So I'm curious as to what the steps are for the naming.

3:25

Thank you, Elizabeth.

3:26

Um the way it would work, somebody submits the proposal, the commission looks at it, and we would set a public hearing, at least one public hearing.

3:39

Uh the public hearing has to be properly noticed.

3:44

Um at the end of the public hearing, then the commission, we would discuss what we heard, discuss the proposal, and we would vote a recommendation that we go to the administration, the mayor, and the assembly, and the assembly would take final action by resolution on the name.

4:06

And it's part of the public hearing and as part of the process, we would also consider any other names brought forward by members of the public.

4:15

Um during the process, um the group or individuals who propose a naming, they can submit letters of support, resolutions from community councils, any other documents that they would like to provide.

4:33

Members of the public can show up at the at the hearing and express their support.

4:39

It's not that lengthy of a process.

4:44

Uh we that was something we were going to discuss when to schedule public hearings.

4:51

So the public hearing could be, we could schedule a public hearing for, we have three proposals.

4:57

I I think we would probably do them one at a time.

5:01

Or we could actually schedule, and we could do the hearing at our regular scheduled meeting in June, or we could schedule a special meeting.

5:09

So that's something the commission would have to discuss.

5:15

Any thoughts from any other commissioner?

5:20

I guess just one extra step that we had devolved when we were developing that procedures, and that was that we do send a letter to the community council wherever the thing is located, so that the community council is aware of the public hearing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement█████████████████████21%
Parks and Recreation███████████████████19%
Historic Preservation████████████████16%
Community Engagement████████████████16%
Racial Equity███3%
Land Use Planning███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Anchorage Public Naming Commission Meeting - May 15, 2026

The Anchorage Public Naming Commission met on May 15, 2026, at 5:40 p.m. ADT. Initially lacking a quorum, the commission later achieved a quorum and approved the agenda as amended, approved minutes from previous meetings, and addressed three naming proposals. Commissioners re-elected the chair and vice chair and discussed outreach to fill vacant seats.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved agenda as amended (added indigenous pathways policy update under unfinished business)
  • Approved minutes from November, December, and March 2026 meetings unanimously

Discussion Items

  • Downtown Library Naming: Elizabeth Nikolai, assistant director of the Anchorage Public Library, presented a proposal to name the new downtown library (opening early 2027) as "Anchorage Original Town Site Downtown Library." The library is funded by a state grant and a bequest from Janet Getz, which will cover 12 years of operations. Getz's condition required the library to be within the original townsite boundaries. The commission scheduled a public hearing for June 10, 2026, and directed staff to notify the Downtown Community Council.
  • Centennial Park Renaming: Darrell Hess disclosed he suggested the proposal from Hart Incorporated (a local nonprofit) to rename Centennial Park to "Mong Veterans Memorial Park." The park currently hosts a Hmong market, and a memorial is funded but not yet built. Commissioners discussed whether to rename the entire park or a portion, and agreed to consult the Parks and Recreation Department. Outreach will be made to the Northeast Community Council and market vendors. No public hearing was scheduled; the commission will revisit after the library hearing.
  • Eagle River Town Square Park Renaming: Patty Wilson, from the Chugiak-Eagle River Historical Society, proposed renaming Eagle River Town Square Park to "Pipplesfield Park" to honor homesteaders Walt and Belvin Pipple. The society noted the area was historically known as Pipples Field. The commission will request an advisory opinion from the Eagle River Parks Board of Supervisors and schedule a public hearing likely in fall 2026. Letters of support from community organizations are encouraged.
  • Indigenous Pathways Policy Update: Commissioner Jen reported continued outreach to the Native Village of Aklutna to fill a designated seat. No candidate has been identified, but interest exists. Vacant seats include seats three (Aklutna recommendation), five (DEI experience), and six (at-large). A social media graphic will be created to encourage applications.
  • Election of Chair and Vice Chair: Daryl Hess was re-elected chair. Jenny Harrison was re-elected vice chair, noting her new out-of-town work schedule but willingness to continue.

Key Outcomes

  • Public Hearing Set: A public hearing for the downtown library naming was scheduled for June 10, 2026, at the commission's regular meeting.
  • Referrals to Other Bodies: The commission will seek an advisory opinion from the Eagle River Parks Board for the Pipplesfield Park proposal and will consult the Parks and Recreation Department regarding the Centennial Park naming scope.
  • Outreach Actions: Notifications will be sent to the Northeast Community Council and Hmong market vendors about the Centennial Park proposal. A simplified process document will be created for community councils.
  • Commission Seats: Members will continue outreach to fill vacant seats, particularly the Aklutna-recommended seat. Applications are open for all seats.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:00 p.m. ADT.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good afternoon. I'd like to call this meeting of the May meeting of the public naming commission to order. Jasmine, could you call the roll, please? Member Harrison. Here. Here. Chair has. Here. Chair, you do not have a quorum. Thank you. Would somebody like to volunteer to do the land acknowledgement? Okay. All right, Jen. Just the two. A land acknowledgement is formal statement recognizing indigenous people of a place. It is a public gesture of appreciation for the past and present indigenous stewardship of the lands that we have. It's an actionable statement that marks our collective movement towards decolonization and equity. The public naming commission would like to acknowledge that we gathered down the traditional lines of the deny and a half passions for thousands of years of the deny and a half and continue to be the stewards of the Senate. It's with gratitude and respect that we recognize the contributions, innovations and contemporary perspectives of the upper companion tonight. Thank you, Jen. We don't have a quorum, so we can't approve the agenda or bar the minutes of the November, December, and March meetings. We don't have any unfinished business. Well, first new item, item of business, new new business is to elect the chair and vice chair. We don't have a quorum, so we can't do that. But we can hear the request, the proposal if anybody would like to speak on the request to rename to name the new downtown library. Oh, Chair, can I just mention who's absent real quick? Pardon me? Can I just mention who's absent? Okay. Members Heller, Gupta, and Khan are absent. Thank you. Come forward. Grab a microphone, introduce yourself, please. Not that we don't know who you are. Hello, my name is Elizabeth Nikolai. I'm the assistant director of the Anchorage Public Library. Um to name the downtown library, or the proposed downtown library, which is open to hope to open in early 2027. Um, the Anchorage Original Town Site Downtown Library. This library is funded entirely by a grant from the state of Alaska, as well as a bequest from Ms. Janet Getz and within her will and bequest, which not only which will fund 12 years of operation, was the name Anchorage Original Townsite Library. We have added the downtown as it is the policy of the Anchor Foul Library to, as we named locations added geographic distinction to the library. We do, I do understand you don't have a quorum. I'm so excited to learn about the future steps. Um we expect to begin construction this summer on this library, and we need to order a sign. So I'm curious as to what the steps are for the naming. Thank you, Elizabeth. Um the way it would work, somebody submits the proposal, the commission looks at it, and we would set a public hearing, at least one public hearing. Uh the public hearing has to be properly noticed. Um at the end of the public hearing, then the commission, we would discuss what we heard, discuss the proposal, and we would vote a recommendation that we go to the administration, the mayor, and the assembly, and the assembly would take final action by resolution on the name. And it's part of the public hearing and as part of the process, we would also consider any other names brought forward by members of the public.

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