Each time Turner Valley’s Perdue family heads to their local park to play on the equipment and enjoy the space, they will be filled with pride.
Turner Valley residents voted last month to call the unnamed park in the town’s southeast corner Perdue Park in honour of Jeremy Perdue a former Turner Valley RCMP Constable who lost his battle against cancer in April, and husband to Kira Perdue.
“There is no real words,” said Kira of the park’s new name. “It was a shock. It’s just a huge honour.”
Perdue Park was one of five names the Turner Valley Paths, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee had residents vote on after receiving 26 submissions in its Name That Park contest in May.
Residents had been calling the park a range of names including John Street Park and Robert Street Park since it was built by the area’s developer about a decade ago.
Irene Waring, the committee’s chairwoman, said 105 people voted on the names over two weeks last month. Fifty-nine per cent chose Perdue Park, she said.
The other names were Junction Park, Minue Park (after Turner Valley School’s first male teacher Gordon Minue), Sandeman Park (after a prominent local family) and Parky McParkface (imitating an option in a contest to name a coast guard vessel in England). Parky McParkface came in second with 23 per cent of the votes.
“There was certainly a way better response the second go-around,” she said, adding she had expected more than the 26 submissions.
Most of the submissions had suggested Perdue Park as the name.
The Town of Turner Valley added to the playground last year after relocating equipment from the former Hells Half Acre Campground to make room for the Lions Spray Park.
Earlier this spring, Town council approved the advisory committee’s request to add more equipment using the $23,000 left over from the funds the Town allocated to move the equipment.
“Once the committee was formed (a year ago) that and the pathways were the first two things that we worked on,” said Waring. “It was one of the first things the committee was able to do and it’s been a long time coming.”
Waring said the remaining equipment should be installed next month and that a commemorative sign will be built, funded by the committee or a sponsor.
Turner Valley mayor Kelly Tuck said naming the park after Perdue is exciting for both the community and the honoured family.
It follows a long-standing tradition to name some of the streets, buildings and parks in town after important people in the community, she said.
“They are after people with a long history,” she said. “I think when you have an individual that serves their community in the capacity that Jeremy did it’s just a nice way to say thank you.”
Kira, who has four young children, said a park honouring their father is something they can treasure their whole lives.
“Every time we go there it will be, ‘This is for my dad,’ especially for my little one,” she said. “She will be two on Saturday.”
When the final pieces of playground equipment are in place, the Town will host an official ceremony to commemorate Perdue Park.
