LA HABRA : City to Rename Park to Honor Lions Club

City Council members have decided to rename El Centro Park after the La Habra Host Lions Club in recognition of its work there.

The new name, El Centro Lions Park, honors the club for building basketball courts, fences, walkways and patio canopies in the park. They continue to do landscaping and fix lights, and are planning to add about 30 benches. The park has also been home to the club’s annual Corn Festival since 1949.

Initially, the Lions had requested that the park be renamed in memory of club member Ramon T. Hornbuckle, who died last year. Hornbuckle was known in the community for his work in providing eyeglasses for needy children.

The council rejected that request because no other park in the city is named after an individual, and the city had no guidelines to follow for such requests.

Subsequently, a policy was adopted giving the city authority to consider renaming a park after a deceased person only after the person has been dead for a year.

So the Lions Club could have requested again that the city consider renaming the park after Hornbuckle. The club, however, chose to request that the city name the park after the club, because many members, including Hornbuckle, have contributed to beautifying and adding buildings to the park over the past 50 years.

While city officials commended the club’s efforts, a resident, Don Wright, said he fears that other organizations will now want parks named in their honor as well.

But Councilman William D. Mahoney said, “It’s going to take a lot of work on the part of other service clubs to be considered.”

In other action, the council voted to name a new park in La Habra Hills Vista del Valle Park.