By Linda Taaffe

The Los Altos City Council could change the name of the downtown park, currently named to honor a man who publicly detested such open space, to Freedom, Liberty or Allegiance as a permanent memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The council asked the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission last week to search for a park where they could dedicate a plaque with a proclamation honoring last month’s victims and the community could be reminded of the virtues of freedom.

In particular, the council asked the commission to study Conner Park at the corner of San Antonio Road and Edith Avenue, named after the city’s first mayor, A. Watson Conner, in 1999. Conner was a driving force behind the vote to incorporate Los Altos as a city in 1952.

What most residents didn’t realize until after the park dedication was that Conner publicly hated parks, saying “every man has a park in his own back yard. That’s why we put in 10,000-square-foot lots.”

Councilwoman Kris Casto said she suggested such a memorial at Conner Park because of the bronze statue at the site rather than the name. Casto said the “Olympic Wannabes” statue is uplifting and provides a “place of presence” to honor those who died and to give hope to those to come.

“If there was ever anything that gives you a feeling of freedom and joy, it’s that statue,” Councilman John Moss said.

Mayor King Lear and Councilman Francis La Poll admitted that Conner may not have been the best name for the three-quarter-acre park, but disagreed about changing the name.

“The intent was to honor those who take a step in civic life and don’t just sit back. Conner took a step. It’s a good name to honor those who founded the city,” La Poll said.

Lear said the problem with renaming the park is that the city council seems to have a difficult time making decisions and letting them lie.

He continued, “The Olympics were hosted by Nazi Germany. It was a very big PR occasion. This was not an evidence of freedom. The Olympics are hosted in very unfree countries. This is nothing to brag about in a sense of equating ‘Olympic Wannabes’ with freedom.”

Lear said the city designed Conner park to be a “passive park” after much public input. He described Conner Park as a place for meditation not for gatherings.

He suggested honoring the Sept. 11 victims at the Community Plaza, which does not have an official name, according to city officials.

The parks committee is scheduled to give the council a list of possible sites for the memorial.