BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF MERCER ISLAND, WA
COVE NAMING
AB 4423
May 4, 2009
Regular Business
Proposed Council Action:
Consider petitioners proposed resolution endorsing
the naming of a cove.
DEPARTMENT OF
City Attorney (Katie Knight)
COUNCIL LIAISON
Mike Cero
EXHIBITS
1. Letter from Robert C. MacAulay
2. Resolution No. 1410 (Proposed by Petitioners)
3. WSBOGN's Guidelines for naming a geographic feature
APPROVED BY CITY MANAGER
AMOUNT OF EXPENDITURE
$
n/a
AMOUNT BUDGETED
$
n/a
APPROPRIATION REQUIRED
$
n/a
SUMMARY
A group of citizens are petitioning the Washington State Board on Geographic Names (“WSBOGN”) to
name the cove between the Roanoke Inn and Luther Burbank Park the “Riley Cove.” The petitioners wish
to have the cove named after life-long Mercer Island resident Hu Riley and the Riley family, who have
collectively lived on Mercer Island for almost the past 100 years.
Robert C. MacAulay, who is spearheading the petition to name the cove, mailed the letter and survey,
attached as Exhibit 1, to 55 of the homes that surround the cove. Thirty-eight of the 55 recipients returned
the survey to Mr. MacAulay. Of those responses, 35 supported naming the cove “Riley Cove” and 3
respondents opposed the name “Riley Cove.”
Margaret Philbrick, a fourth generation Mercer Island resident, and her family strongly oppose naming the
cove after any one deeply rooted family. In addition, Ms. Philbrick points out that the cove has historically
been referred to as “Serena Cove” and “McGilvra Bay.”
The petitioners are asking the City Council to endorse naming the cove “Riley Cove” in the Resolution
attached as Exhibit 2. The endorsement would be sent to the WSBOGN for its consideration in evaluating
the petition to name the cove.
The WSBOGN meets twice per year to consider requests to name geographic features. The WSBOGN will
consider the petitioners’ request to name the cove at its next meeting on May 15, 2009. It has the sole
authority to designate official names recognized by the State of Washington for geographic features. Once
it names a geographic feature, official state maps are changed to include the new name. The United States
Board on Geographic Names then considers whether to include the name on official federal maps.
Page 1
The WSBOGN’s guidelines for naming a geographic feature are attached as Exhibit 3. The City’s
endorsement of the name is not required for the cove to be named. However, the petitioners believe that
the City Council’s support will help convince the WSBOGN that the cove should be named “Riley Cove.”
Staff makes no recommendation regarding this resolution. The motion below can be made if any
Councilmember wishes to adopt the petitioners’ proposed resolution.
RECOMMENDATION
City Attorney
MOVE TO:
Adopt Resolution No. 1410 which endorses the naming of the cove between the Roanoke
Inn and Luther Burbank Park as “Riley Cove.”
Page 2
AB 4423
Exhibit 1
Page 3
AB 4423
Exhibit 1
Page 4
AB 4423
Exhibit 1
Page 5
AB 4423
Exhibit 1
Page 6
CITY OF MERCER ISLAND
RESOLUTION NO. 1410
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MERCER ISLAND, WASHINGTON
ENDORSING THE NAMING OF COVE LOCATED BETWEEN THE
ROANOKE INN AND LUTHER BURBANK PARK AS “RILEY COVE”
WHEREAS, the body of water located between the Roanoke Inn and Luther Burbank Park
shown with crosshatching in Exhibit A is referred to herein as the “Cove”; and
WHEREAS, a group of Mercer Island citizens who live along the Cove have recently embarked
upon a campaign to have the Cove named “Riley Cove” after the Riley family, of which Hu
Riley is a part; and
WHEREAS, the Riley family is one of the pioneering families on Mercer Island and has lived on
the Cove continuously for almost 100 years, as described in more particularity in the attached
biography; and
WHEREAS, Hu Riley himself has lived in the same house on the Cove for 88 years; and
WHEREAS, Hu Riley is also a World War II hero who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day,
1944; was hit several times by gunfire; was the subject of a world famous Robert Capa
photograph; was also in the first wave of invasions in North Africa and Sicily; was seriously
wounded in the Battle of the Bulge; and was ultimately awarded three Purple Hearts; and
WHEREAS, the City of Mercer Island (the “City”) commends the recognition of its cherished
citizens who have ably and honorably put their lives in harm’s way in service to our country so
that we may enjoy the freedoms to which we have become so accustomed; and
WHEREAS, over 90 percent of the respondents to a recent poll of individuals living on the Cove
have endorsed the naming of the Cove as “Riley Cove”; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Board on Geographic Names (the “Board”) has the sole
authority to name the Cove, but the Board would look with favor upon an endorsement of the
name by the City; and
WHEREAS, the City has been asked to endorse the naming of the Cove as “Riley Cove”;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Mercer Island as
follows:
Section 1.
Endorsement of Naming.
The City hereby endorses the naming of the Cove by the Board as “Riley Cove” and the City
encourages the Board to take the necessary actions to accomplish such naming.
AB 4322
Exhibit 2
Page 7
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This Resolution shall take effect and be in force immediately.
ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Mercer Island, Washington at its Regular Meeting
on the 4th day of May, 2009.
____________________________________
Jim Pearman, Mayor
ATTEST:
____________________________
Allison Spietz, City Clerk, CMC
AB 4322
Exhibit 2
Page 8
EXHIBIT A
AB 4322
Exhibit 2
Page 9
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Home > Business & Permits > How To > Government > How Do I Find Naming Guidelines For Geographic Features?
HOW DO I FIND NAMING GUIDELINES FOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES?
WASHINGTON STATE BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES NAMING GUIDELINES
Minimum Guidelines Established By Law:
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Serve the public interest.
Avoid the duplication of names for similar features whenever possible.
Establish the official names for features within Washington State.
Assign names to features for which no single generally accepted names have been in
use.
 Retain the significance, spelling, and flavor of names associated with the early history
of Washington States.
Naming Guidelines:
In addition, the Washington State Board on Geographic Names is authorized to establish
policies to carry out the purposes of the law. Guidelines for acceptable names are:
 Names in dominant local usage that are strongly supported by local residents.
 Names significant to the early history of Washington State, such as names of Native
American, pioneer or pertinent foreign origin.
 Names created by municipal councils or other local governing bodies, unless the
name is in conflict with the established principles of the Washington State Board on
Geographic Names.
 Names that conform to the flavor of the existing names in the area.
 Pertinent, concise names in good taste, without derogatory or defamatory
implications.
 Names that are not duplicated within the State, particularly in small or contiguous
areas.
Additional Guidelines:
 One name is preferable for all parts of the same feature, such as the main stem of a
stream or the length of a single mountain range.
 It is preferable that the name of a river follow its longest branch.
 Hyphens and apostrophes should be avoided.
 Names with commercial overtones should be avoided.
Commemorative Names:
 The person being commemorated must not be living.
 The person must have been deceased at least five (5) years before the Washington
State Board on Geographic Names will consider the application.
Only one feature of a kind may be named after the same person.
The person should have enduring fame to the region.
Public service credentials should be considered.
The relative importance of a feature must be equal to the importance of the person
being honored. Thus, it is inappropriate to name a major peak for a relatively
unknown individual, or a small pond for a major personality.
 The person should have been closely associated with the feature.
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Changes In Naming, Spelling, Or Application:
Changes in existing names are generally limited to the elimination of names that are
inappropriate, duplicative, defamatory or derogatory; and to the correction of names that
have historically changed or been corrupted from their original form.
Changes in spelling are encouraged in order to standardize the form of a single, identical
name given to related features, to eliminate the use of the possessive apostrophe; and to
correct obvious spelling errors.
Changes in application are encouraged when the name is applied to the wrong feature, or
where the title does not correctly reflect the technical definition of the feature to which
applied.
Approved by the Washington State Board on September 2, 1983
AB 4322
Exhibit 3
Page 10
CONTACTS
Washington State Board
on Geographic Names
1111 Washington St.
SE, PO Box 47030
Olympia, WA 985047030
360-902-1231
Fax 360-902-1778
[email protected]
FILES
RELATED LINKS
 Washington
State Board on
Geographic
Names