Should Harmon Road's name be changed to Bill Arrowsmith Parkway?
At Apopka’s July 19th City Council meeting, a resolution requesting Harmon Road, which connects Binion Road to Ocoee-Apopka Road and its extension that connects Ocoee-Apopka to Marden Road, be renamed Bill Arrowsmith Parkway.
“So what precipitated this?” Commissioner Diane Velazquez asked. “…Just one resident asked to have that road renamed?”
Pamela Richmond, Apopka’s transportation coordinator, brought forth the resolution at the request of Apopka resident Verbelee Nielsen-Swanson who thinks highly of former Apopka City Commissioner Bill Arrowsmith. According to Richmond, “Arrowsmith has been a resident of Apopka since 1956,” with “53 years” in the banking industry, and he was an “Apopka Council member for 36 years.”
With Richmond bringing the request forward, she asked the City Council to keep an open mind, as her concern was that previous comments had shed a bad light on Arrowsmith. She claimed that Arrowsmith had done great things for Apopka, like “bring emergency room services to the City” and while serving as chairman of the North Orange Memorial Hospital Scholarship Committee for 30 years that $650,000 was awarded in scholarships to Apopka’s students “pursuing a career in medicine.”
Nielsen-Swanson, advocating for the name change, presented to the Council why she believed Harmon Road should be renamed Arrowsmith Parkway. She reiterated Richmond’s sentiments and added that he dedicated his life to the community, the Commission, and public service, “which demonstrates his passion, his commitment.”
“Yes, there are people that were founders of Apopka, but we stand on the shoulders of those folks, and we need to continue to move forward and progress, and I would wholeheartedly encourage the commission to approve this resolution,” Nielsen-Swanson said. “I think it’s very fitting because it comes right to the doorstep of Advent Health Apopka…”
Commissioner Kyle Becker felt that it would not be appropriate to rename the road because Willard Harmon, whom the road was named after, had been a lifelong Apopkan. He said the name of the road might hold special meaning to someone and that it would invalidate the “excitement” of the naming of the road. Becker acknowledged that Arrowsmith had been his political competitor in the past but said that played no part in his resistance to the name change. Becker said that when future roads are built, that would be the perfect opportunity to name a road after Arrowsmith.
“…How can we justify renaming it when it’s already been named after an Apopkan?” Becker asked.
Richmond said that the history of the man named Willard Harmon is unclear, and what she’s recently learned of his life has not been validated. Therefore, she was uncomfortable discussing it in front of the Council. But then she had another idea.
“Then perhaps there’s a compromise…” Richmond said. “Perhaps Harmon Road between Ocoee-Apopka and Binion can remain Harmon Road and the new road be named Bill Arrowsmith Parkway.”
Commissioner Nick Nesta, searching on his iPad, looked at satellite imagery of the newly extended road and said that it appeared to have already claimed the name Harmon Road. He asked what the general guideline or policy was that determined when and why a road could be renamed and asked for examples.
Richmond and Mayor Bryan Nelson referred to Jason Dwelley Parkway, named after Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class with the 14th Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Jason Dwelley, who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2004. The Billie Dean Community Center at Alonzo Williams Park, named after former Commissioner Billie Dean, who served Apopka for 24 years, was also referenced as an example.
Velazquez asked Richmond what prompted this endeavor to change the name of the road and who was coming forward with this request. Was it just Nielsen-Swanson? Velazquez told Richmond that she had received significant pushback on the proposal from at least 18 residents and that she had to take their concerns into consideration.
“…We’re not asking for any streets to be named by…” Velazquez said. “When we put something on the agenda, whether it’s an ordinance or resolution, or whatever, we do get feedback, and I will tell you that I have gotten plenty of feedback.”
The floor was opened back up to public comment, and at least five residents stood before the City Council and pushed back against renaming the road. The last to come up was Rod Olsen, an Apopka resident, who came before the Council and asked for the road to be renamed after a firefighter who tragically lost his life.
“…If you’re looking at even renaming the extension given the proximity to (Apopka Fire) Station Number Six, it should be Austin Duran,” Olsen said.
The Council agreed to table the resolution until the August 16th City Council meeting.
