Lake County Gazette

Deerfield Park District issued the following announcement on Dec. 1.

At their November 19, 2020 Regular Board meeting, the Deerfield Park District Board of Commissioners voted on the renaming of Mitchell Park along with other community initiatives:

• • The Park Board voted to change the name from Mitchell Park to Floral Park. The name was one option provided by an Advisory Committee that was comprised of representatives from local governments, agencies and citizens at large. Floral was the name of the initial subdivision planned for development in 1959 before the property acquisition was approved by a public election referendum in December 1959. A dedication will occur in the spring of 2021. Other planned items at the park include signage with QR code(s) providing the history of the park and its name change and a Hope Garden.
  • The Park Board also voted to pursue the development of a museum in Deerfield with cooperation and support and funding from local governments and agencies that will include the accurate teaching of the integration issues time period in Deerfield.
  • In addition, the Park Board voted to investigate the possibility of creating a sister village program with local governments and agencies to potentially provide services and benefits to underserved populations.

The Park Board did not change the name of Mitchell Pool and took no action to honor James Mitchell in any additional ways at this time. The park district sincerely thanks the members of the Mitchell Park Advisory Committee for their time and sharing their input and perspectives.

Original source can be found here.