City of Winchester COUNCIL ACTION MEMO ☐ Resolution ☐ Ordinance ☒ Discussion To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council From: Timothy Youmans, Planning Director Subject: A DISCUSSION OF A RESOLUTION TO RENAME E. JUBAL DRIVE AND W. JUBAL EARLY DRIVE Meeting: City Council Work Session - Jun 23 2020 THE ISSUE: The City has received citizen requests to rename city roadways bearing the name of Confederate General Jubal Early who was an outspoken proponent of White Supremacy and promoter of the Lost Cause until his death in 1894. A list of possible alternative names has been created for City Council to consider. Winchester City resident Vanessa Santiago has recommended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Frederick County resident Brian Walls recommended the name James Pierson Beckwourth. Keven Walker has recommended the name Thomas Laws. STRATEGIC PLAN: Goal IV: Improve City services and advance the strategic plan goals by promoting a culture of transparency, efficiency, and innovation BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The roadway that currently bears the name Jubal Early Drive (both E. Jubal Early and W. Jubal Early) was originally identified as ‘Southern Loop’ in old VDOT/VDH plans and the City’s Comprehensive Plan. It was called this because it “looped” around the south side of the old City limits back before the 1970 annexation. The roadway was built in a number of phases. Phase 1 was built in conjunction with Apple Blossom Mall in the early 1980s and was named Apple Blossom Drive. It extended from down in front of Perkins west to where the S. Pleasant Valley Rd intersection is today. It created a triangular network of roadway bounded by a two-way section of Millwood Ave, a one-way westbound section of Millwood Ave, and the new 4-lane divided stretch of Apple Blossom Drive. That configuration finally went away in 2014 when the City and SU eliminated the one-way segment of Millwood Ave in front of the performing arts building. In conjunction with the 2014 Millwood Ave diversion project, City Council renamed the portion of E. Jubal Early Drive from its eastern terminus to where Apple Blossom Drive and Millwood Ave intersect with the remaining part of E. Jubal Early Dr (where Hampton Inn/Ollie’s/Walgreen’s are located) to Millwood Avenue on September 9, 2014. There was no opposition to that roadway renaming. Phase 2 of Apple Blossom Drive (currently named E. Jubal Early and W. Jubal Early Dr) was extended west over the CSX RR to Valley Ave in the early 1990s. Before the 1992 dedication ceremony on the bridge over the RR, the road was quickly renamed Jubal Early Drive by Council Resolution on February 12, 1991. Former Mayor Stewart Bell had wanted a roadway named for General Jubal Early at least as far back as the 1970s. As a side note, Pleasant Valley Road was given its generic name after a failed attempt at the November 18, 1975 Council meeting where a motion was made to name that roadway in honor of Jubal Early. After the failed motion, the Pleasant Valley Rd name was approved. That action in 1975 may have been the motivation for Mr. Bell’s desire to get Apple Blossom Dr renamed to Jubal Early Drive. Here is an excerpt from the 11-18-1975 Council Minutes: Mr. Zuckerman’ s motion, seconded by Mr. Bly, to rename the Pleasant Valley Road Project “Jubal Early Drive”, as recommended by the Planning Commission, was de­feated by the following substitute motion: On a motion (substitute) by Mr. Garber, seconded by Dr. Jones, the follow-ing resolution was adopted, with Messrs. Bell, Bly, Fleming, and Glass voting in the negative: RESOLUTION BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Winchester, Virginia, that the street being completed from Millwood Avenue north to Kerr Street, and known as the “Pleasant Valley Road Project”, be named “Pleasant Valley Road”, and that Rouss Spring Drive, Greenwalt Avenue, and Kerr Street, all or part of which have been incorporated into said Project, be renamed in their entirety “Pleasant Valley Road” (Editors note: It was common practice in this timeframe for the chairman of the committee under which section of the meeting an item was presented to be the person making the motion. Therefore, even though Mr. Zuckerman made the motion to rename Pleasant Valley Rd to Jubal Early Dr, he did not support that motion and was one of the 9 councilors out of 13 who rejected the Jubal Early naming and instead supported the substitute motion. Mr. Bell was one of the 4 councilors who sought the renaming to Jubal Early Drive.) Regarding Phase 3, Meadow Branch Avenue was originally known as W. Jubal Early Drive. It was renamed to Meadow Branch Avenue by City Council on February 8, 1994 at the request of the developer of Meadow Branch Subdivision when the plans to extend W. Jubal Early Dr out through western Frederick Co were being prepared. They realized that both roads could not have the same name. There was no opposition expressed by residents who had to change their addresses from W. Jubal Early to Meadow Branch. Phase 3 of the original Southern Loop highway system was built in many subphases. The developers of Meadow Branch Subdivision built from Handley Ave northward to Buckner Dr in the Meadow Branch North Subdivision in the late 1980s. The portion from Valley Ave up to Handley Ave was built in the 1997, although two of the four lanes in the stretch between Harvest Drive and Handley had been built before then by one of the Meadow Branch South developers. The last portion of Meadow Branch Avenue from Buckner Dr to Amherst St was built by the City in conjunction with the new John Kerr Elem School in the 2010s. BUDGET IMPACT: New street name signage will need to be fabricated and installed at approx 6 intersections. OPTIONS: Six possible alternative names have been initially suggested for consideration: Spottswood Poles Boulevard- Winchester Native WWI Hero and nationally recognized baseball legend whose accomplishments have only recently been recognized locally. The small stretch of roadway (parking lot access aisle) that is currently named in his honor could be renamed. Martin Luther King Drive- Iconic U.S. Civil Rights leader. Name suggested by City resident Vanessa Santiago who states: “I think in honor of the reason we're changing the name, to give a nod to the current movement, and to recognize the civil rights that were fought for in Virginia, I'd like to suggest it be renamed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. I think this would also be very fitting as it passes Page 2 of 12 through educational institutions like Shenandoah University, Children of America, and on your way to John Kerr Elementary School.” Thomas Laws Drive- African-American who transported produce between towns occupied by opposing troops during the Civil War. He agreed to carry a message from local Quaker Rebecca Wright on Confederate Gen. Jubal Early's troop strength in Winchester to Union Gen. Sheridan leading to his advance on Winchester from eastern Frederick County. Laws' efforts influenced the decisive Union victory, the 3rd Battle of Winchester, marking the last time that the City was under Confederate control. Sara Brown Boulevard- Winchester native, Dr. Sara Winifred Brown became a prominent African American professor of Gynecology at Howard University and doctor. She was the first woman appointed to the Howard University Board of Directors. Winchester (Park)Way- Currently, no street in the City bears the name ‘Winchester’ in it even though many nearby places have streets named for Winchester such as Winchester Ave (US Rte 11) in Martinsburg and Winchester Rd (US Rte 522) leading north out of Front Royal. Abrams Creek Parkway- The roadway begins on the eastern end near the bridge over Abrams Creek near Shenandoah University and ends near another bridge over Abrams Creek where the Green Circle Trail extends out into the Abrams Creek Wetland Preserve. Upon further research, it was determined that the name James Pierson Beckwourth that was suggested by Mr. Walls of Frederick County, was not a person born in Frederick County VA, but instead, Fredericksburg, VA. Staff notes that streets can have an honorary naming in addition to an official name for business addressing and emergency response purposes. Many cities have designated honorary or memorial names for streets and VDOT has a program in place to name stretches of Virginia highways for people, places, or things. For example, US Rte 522 from Rte 50 down to US Rte 340 (Double Tollgate) is named Front Royal Turnpike, but it has also been officially designated as ‘Patsy Cline Memorial Highway’ under the VDOT road-naming program. RECOMMENDATION: Staff has no recommendations on this topic at this time. ATTACHMENTS: Spottswood Poles and Sara Brown background info Thomas Laws Jubal Early Petition REVIEW: Perry Eisenach, Public Services Director Approved - Jun 15 2020 Melisa Michelsen, City Attorney Approved - Jun 16 2020 Mary Price, Interim City Manager Approved - Jun 18 2020 Page 3 of 12 Spot(t)swood Poles • Born in Winchester around 1887 Page 4 of 12 • Recognized as one of the fastest players of his day • Left-handed batter who attained batting averages of .440, .414, and .487 (note: Hit .610 against white major league teams) • Played for Harrisburg 1906, Philadelphia in 1909, and New York Lincoln Giants in 1911 • Joined 369th Infantry Regiment (Harlem Hellfighters), attached to French Army, during WWI, earning 5 battle stars and a Purple Heart for combat in France as a sergeant • Died at age 74 in 1962 and buried in Arlington National Cemetery Dr. Sara Winifred Brown Page 5 of 12 • Born in Winchester 1868 • African American MD & teacher • Taught Gynecology at Howard University • One of 50 women in WWI ‘Flying Squadron’ • A founding member of what is now the National Association of University Women (NAUW) • 1st woman on Howard University Board of Trustees • Killed when struck by a bus in 1948 Thomas Laws • African-American Slave during Am.