This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As director of the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Division, Martin Jensen wanted to know what people thought of South Cottonwood Regional Park.
Nobody knew for sure which one it was.
But when Jensen informed people that he was talking about Wheeler Farm, they all knew instantly what he was talking about.
So why not call it by the name people use, he figured.
The Salt Lake County Council concurred, and last week approved recommendations by Jensen and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to rename four parks.
Making Wheeler Farm the formal name of the pastoral 75-acre reserve in Murray "will reduce confusion with groups that seek to use the park and will streamline our marketing and communication efforts," Jensen said.
This switch was initiated by the county, he noted, but others were made in response to community requests.
The 58-acre park at 7485 S. 1700 East officially was designated Little Cottonwood Regional Park. But Cottonwood Heights Councilman Mike Peterson led the charge to rename it Crestwood Regional, noting that it's adjacent to Crestwood Neighborhood Park and the Crestwood swimming pool.
A little 4.1-acre park at 4013 S. 700 West had been known as Valley Center Park for no other reason than its proximity to the geographical center of the valley.
"There's no sentimental attachment to that," Jensen said, contending the area, filled with large apartment complexes, has come to be known as Sunnyvale.
The Sunnyvale Neighborhood Center, which is operated by the Asian Association of Utah, is adjacent to the neighborhood park, which is also the site of the Sunnyvale Farmers Market held every Saturday from May through October by the International Rescue Committee.
"A name change will reinforce community identity," said Karin Edwards, special-projects coordinator in the county's Office of Community Innovation.
The fourth change came at the behest of the Wardle family, which farmed 80 acres around 14010 S. 2700 West for three generations before selling the land to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The county later acquired the property from the church for a regional park in Bluffdale. Plans called for it to be named Southwest Regional Park when it opens next year.
But, just like Valley Center Park, Jensen said, "there's no emotional attachment to that," so why not go along with the family's request to dub it Wardle Fields Regional Park?
"We understand it is not an easy name," said requester Jennifer Wardle Robinson, a Bluffdale City planner, "but we are proud of our name and our heritage in Bluffdale and the southwest part of the valley."
Added Robert Wardle: "It was one of the most productive farms in the valley."
Jensen said the cost of changing the names on park signs can be handled within the division's budget.