Hampton mulls name change for Magruder
Magruder Boulevard, one of the city’s major thoroughfares, is up for a name change to honor the first man who walked on the moon, Neil Armstrong.
The portion of the boulevard, now named for Confederate general John Bankhead Magruder, in Hampton would be renamed as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Armstrong’s “one small step for man,” and the Apollo 11 lunar landing that took place July 20, 1969.
It’s a discussion that has been circling for some months, according to Mayor Donnie Tuck, who received the suggestion last summer from a NASA employee.
Hampton, which has been home to what is now NASA Langely Research Center for more than 100 years, wanted to recognize the moon landing anniversary, Jason Mitchell, the city’s public works manager told the council Wednesday.
No action was taken, but the council will be asked to vote on a name change in January when the city can hold a public hearing.
Mitchell outlined the costs and other steps associated with renaming the 3.3-mile section, which calls for three sign changes along Interstate 64, and about 25 street signs in the city.
It also impacts 11 companies, including a couple of car dealerships and businesses in a strip shopping mall.
Mitchell estimates that for local businesses, costs to change letterhead, websites, identification signs and other administrative items would be roughly $7,500, depending on the business, he said.
City officials and council would meet with business owners about the proposed changes, and do other public outreach as why Hampton is considering this and why it is beneficial, City Manager Mary Bunting said.
The changes would take place over a two-year period.
Tuck said this is an idea he vetted during a town hall, adding Hampton has a good relationship with the business community.
Councilwoman Linda Curtis questioned why the name change consideration was being discussed before speaking with businesses.
“I think it’s regrettable,” Curtis said. “I certainly think before we got to this session that the property owners should have been notified and have some input.”
No other council members offered comment.
For the city, costs associated with changing the signs would be about $150,000 to remove the existing street signs, ground mounted signs and overhead signs.
For the Virginia Department of
Transportation to swap out signs along I-64, some that begin as far west as the York County line, could cost between $40,000 and $60,000, according to Mitchell’s estimates.
VDOT would need to close off sections of the interstate lanes at night, a process that could take 120 days to complete, Mitchell said.
Officials from VDOT could not be immediately reached Wednesday for comment.
Suggestions to rename Magruder Boulevard have been offered before.
In 2017, several activist groups sent requests to Tuck and other members of the council to rename Magruder Boulevard because it was named for the Confederate general who participated in the Peninsula campaign of the Civil War.
The movement came as the NAACP and other groups made requests to rename two Hampton public schools that were named for Confederate leaders.