GALVESTON — The park dedicated to the Army garrison built in the early 1900s to protect Galveston from invaders soon may be renamed in honor of a snack chip.
County commissioners Wednesday set in motion a process to change the name of Fort Crockett Park to SunChips Seawall Park at Fort Crockett. The request came from Frito-Lay, the snack company that makes SunChips, a multigrain snack chip.
Last month, Frito-Lay announced it would donate $1 million to enhance the park at 47th Street and Seawall Boulevard. The donation is to pay for a solar-powered restroom, visitors’ kiosk, concession stand and historical displays.
It also is part of a national campaign by the company to solicit donations from its customers to aid in Galveston’s Hurricane Ike recovery efforts. Later this month the company will make a donation for every two bags of SunChips purchased at 2,400 Kroger stores across the country.
Before the snack maker can brand the park after one of its products, though, a 30-day public comment period is required, County Judge Jim Yarbrough said. The seawall is a county park.
Barring a major outcry from the public, the park would get its new name just in time for the anniversary of Hurricane Ike, which came ashore Sept. 13.
Betty Massey, the chairwoman of the island’s recovery committee, encouraged county commissioners to support the name change.
“It’s an appropriate recognition of this corporate gift,” Massey said. She said the park enhancements were a part of Galveston’s 42-point recovery plan that includes transforming the seawall into “a real urban park with landscaping.”
The face-lift at Fort Crockett Park would be the first step in a planned $12 million seawall enhancement project, which would include improved bathroom facilities, enhanced lighting, trees, transit shelters and sidewalk improvements.
Massey and Galveston County Parks Director Dennis Harris said it was important that the new name keep the historical reference to Fort Crockett, which was one of three garrisons built in 1903 to protect Galveston Island. Massey said plans called for a display at the park to note the historical significance of Fort Crockett.
The park is home to the statue commemorating the 1900 Storm.
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Park Renaming
The 30-day public comment period for renaming Fort Crockett Park in Galveston to SunChips Seawall Park at Fort Crockett starts Aug. 8. Comments must be submitted in writing to:
Galveston County Department of Parks and Senior Services
4102 Main St., La Marque, TX 77568
ONLINE: Go to the “Contact Us” section at www.galvestonparks-seniors.org and click on the information e-mail link.
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Did You Know?
Naming a park for a corporation is unusual by not unprecedented. Carbide Park in La Marque, the headquarters for the Galveston County Department of Parks and Senior Services, was named for the Union Carbide chemical plant in Texas City, which is now Dow. The company donated the land.
