'Flying Phil' St. Luke will lend his name to a park, trail or pathway somewhere in Parksville, with the location yet to be determined.
Council received an initial request to rename the Waterfront Walkway after St. Luke, who died in 2023 and was widely recognized as one of the friendliest and most iconic residents of Parksville.
Jennah Stavroff, with the Flying Phil Memorial Project, said the fundraising group polled the community about what they would like to see done with the $18,000 raised.
“To our surprise, the clear winner, with 39 per cent of the vote, was the naming of the currently unnamed seaside boardwalk," she said during a presentation to council on April 23, and asked that the city consider naming the walkway the 'St. Luke Boardwalk'.
Alternatively, she asked council to approve the naming of a park or trail.
“Phil was a tireless volunteer in this region who raised funds and contributed his time to local charities and the community at large for over 40 years,” Stavroff said.
Mayor Doug O'Brien said there are "significant complications and concerns" regarding naming a public asset after one person.
"Although it may seem innocuous and supported by the community in this particular case, naming of a public asset sets a potentially dangerous precedent. I wish to stress this is not a personal concern regarding Phil," O'Brien said. "People, no matter how celebrated or special to a community, are complex and their reputation or actions can become controversial."
Coun. Adam Fras said he did not see the risk in naming something after St. Luke, since the request has come from the community. His made a motion that directs city staff to identify an unnamed city park, trail or pathway that can be named as 'Flying Phil Way' or 'Flying Phil Park'.
“The ‘Flying Phil’ portion of it is not so much about the individual but that sense of community, it’s that we all bring a part of this to it,” Fras said.
The motion was carried unanimously.
So far, the Flying Phil Memorial Project has used funds raised to pay the cost of St. Luke’s headstone; purchased a trophy for the local Special Olympics chapter to recognize an athlete annually who shows great sportsmanship; provided seed money for a local documentary production company to video interview community members about St. Luke’s impact on their lives; and partnered to have a fence installed at Inclusion Parksville’s Hirst Avenue location, which has created a private courtyard for clients to do crafts, garden and eat outdoors, according to Stavroff.
The group still hopes to make contributions to the food bank and BC SPCA.
