The City of Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved the renaming of Lincoln Heights Park in Zephyrhills to honor the city’s first African American employee.
Council members Jodi Wilkeson, Lance Smith, Ken Burgess, Steven Spina and Charles Proctor voted 5-0 on Aug. 28 to rename it the Ellis Harrold Neighborhood Park.
A special advisory board was formed by the City Council on June 12 to look into renaming Lincoln Heights Park, which sits between homes on Lincoln Avenue, just east of Airport Road. Brought forth from a resolution by the newly elected Spina (Seat 2), the renaming was a way to honor Ellis, the city’s first African American employee, who worked for the municipality for 34 years.
The advisory board unanimously recommended the renaming on Aug. 15.
Harrold has resided in Zephyrhills since 1957 and was a resident of the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. He was hired by the City in 1962.
The park currently has no signage, but there will be a sign added with the new name. That is planned to happen after the city unveils its new Zephyrhills-wide signage to accompany the municipality’s rebranding efforts that are still under development.
The city manager’s office also said there will most likely be a small unveiling ceremony featuring Harrold and his family and members of the community at a date to be announced later.
Published September 06, 2023
