In Kenai, a rose by any other name apparently does not always smell as sweet.
South Spruce Street will keep its name after Kenai City Council members voted against a resolution that would have changed it to “Kenai Beach Street.” The sponsor said the new name would act as built-in wayfinding for locals and visitors.
But the proposal was met with backlash from people with addresses along the road, many of whom said the logistic headache was unwarranted. And the Kenai Planning Commission didn’t support the change, either.
Cheri Smith is the director of the LeeShore Center, a nonprofit domestic violence shelter that’s operated on Spruce Street for 40 years. She says they cannot afford the costs associated with a new street name.
“This is going to cost us, really, thousands of dollars that we don’t have,” she said. “All of our printed materials – our letterhead, our brochures, our posters, everything would have to be redone.”
Samantha Springer is the executive director of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. She suggested putting a more prominent sign at the turnoff to make it clearer the road has beach access.
“We send people to that beach a lot during the summer and we have never had anyone come back and say they couldn’t find it,” she said.
Kenai Vice Mayor Henry Knackstedt sponsored the resolution. He says he wasn’t trying to cause headaches by proposing the new street name.
“I didn’t expect it to be that big of a deal,” he said. “The borough changes street names that affect a lot more people.”
Council members unanimously voted to postpone the resolution indefinitely, which effectively kills it.
