Title
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY NAME
THE HUMBOLDT PARK BATTING CAGES
IN HONOR OF NANCY Y. FRANCO-MALDONADO
Body
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
It is recommended that an order be entered authorizing the General Superintendent or his designee to officially name the Humboldt Park Batting Cages in honor of Nancy Y. Franco-Maldonado.
II. Park Naming Information
Park or feature: Humboldt Park Batting Cages
Location: south of Division Street, between two ballfields
Community Area: West Town
Ward: 26
Proposed Name: Nancy Y. Franco-Maldonado Batting Cages
III. Park Naming Procedures
Pursuant to Chapter VII, Section E (1) of the Code of the Chicago Park District, this request to name the Humboldt Park Batting Cages was forwarded to the Secretary of the Chicago Park District, who filed a copy of this request with the Committee on Programs and Recreation and initiated a notice period to solicit public input. Notices were posted in parks and sent to advisory councils located within a one-mile radius of the park site. Elected officials were also notified of the proposal, including the alderman of the ward in which the park is located.
The notice period of forty-five (45) days soliciting public input regarding the naming proposal was initiated on October 11, 2017. There has been positive support for this proposal from The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, The Puerto Rican Cultural Center, and New Life Covenant, as well as-- Alderman-- Maldonado. Staff recommends that the Board approve the request to name the Humboldt Park Batting Cages as the Nancy Y. Franco-Maldonado Batting Cages.
IV. Explanation
Nancy Y. Franco-Maldonado was a loving wife, mother, and daughter, who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer in 2015, at the age of 46. Throughout her too-short life, she gave of herself not only to her family and friends, but to her community as well. Born into a family of community activists, and growing up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, she had a strong understanding of her Puerto Rican heritage and the importance that a sense of place gives to individuals. She encouraged young families, especially Latinos, to purchase homes in Humboldt Park, helping to develop a strong and enduring neighborhood. She was a frequent volunteer at community events, supporting such causes as turkey giveaways and shoe drives. She was instrumental in developing affordable housing in the neighborhood, whether for Latino veterans, or for artists requiring space for their residence and their craft. Her belief that knowing your history can shape your future showed in her campaign to name a local street for Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera (recently released). Alderman Maldonado has valued her as a trusted sounding board and political advisor during his election campaigns, valuing her input on key policy initiatives.
It was part of Nancy’s vision for an active, vibrant community that the baseball experience at Humboldt Park would be enhanced by the addition of batting cages. Her dream is now a reality, and it is fitting that the batting cages at Humboldt Park be named the Nancy Y. Franco-Maldonado Batting Cages.