By Mark Carlisle

Independent Newsmedia

The Glendale City Council is in favor of renaming a two-mile stretch of Bethany Home Road near the city’s football stadium to Cardinals Way — as long as someone else pays for it.

Council directed city staff Tuesday, Feb. 13 to move forward with research into funding options for the estimated$75,000 needed to change 12 exit signs along Loop 101. The city would pay $5,000 — a price tag Council is comfortable with — to replace five city street signs along the two-mile stretch of Bethany Home Road between 83rd Avenue and 99th Avenue.

“I do think there probably would be some economic benefit to Glendale for people to be able to recognize,” said Vice Mayor Lauren Tolmachoff of the Cholla District. “As people drive by, they don’t know what Westgate (Sports and Entertainment District) is… but people know what the Cardinals are.”

Most councilmembers said they would approve the change if, and only if, another body would pay for the signs along the freeway — the bulk of the project’s costs. Once funding is secured, the Arizona Department of Transportation would change out the freeway signs. City staff would change the signs along Bethany Home Road. No timeline was set for when staff will return to Council about the issue.

Councilman Bart Turner of the Barrel District listed some of what he saw as possible sources of funding.

“It seems to me that between the (Arizona) Sports and Tourism Authority, the team, state transportation, chambers of commerce and whoever else all benefit from this, that we could split that cost and it would be pretty reasonable for everybody,” he said.

Mayor Jerry Weiers brought up the name change as an item of special interest last June.

“I think that (the Cardinals) have become very good partners with the city, and I see a great future working with them and certainly we need to take advantage of that,” he said in June 2017. “You know, branding is everything and why aren’t we taking advantage of that when we could?”

Glendale’s Transportation Department researched what would be needed to enact the change and the estimated cost. Now that Council has given the OK to continue the process, city staff will seek funding for the project.

The city has previously ceremonially renamed streets for civil rights leader and Arizona native Cesar Chavez and for country singer and Glendale native Marty Robbins. Though signs were put up, there was no official change of address because it would have been too difficult to change the address for every resident along the route, Mayor Weiers said.

This change would be offi cial. It would not run into the same address change issue because there are only a few city of Glendale locations and utility boxes, which contain things such as power meters, along the route that would need to be re-addressed, Transportation Director Trevor Ebersole said. Mayor Weiers also said he was unsure if ADOT would change freeway signs for a ceremonial street name.

The stretch between 83rd and 91st avenues is in the process of being developed.

“When 83rd to 91st goes in, those signs are going to be paid for no matterwhat, whatever they say,” Mayor Weiers said. “And if we establish this

now as Cardinals Way, that’s not a new cost, that’s a cost that’s going to have to be absorbed by the city anyway.”

Homes are also planned to be developed along that stretch, so addresses would also need to be changed if the name change were to come later. Because of that, Mayor Weiers says it’s now or never.

“If we act now it will cost far less than if we wait until there’s development on that road to where it would be next to impossible to change,” he said.

A poll on Councilwoman Joyce Clark’s blog, joyceclarkunfi ltered.com, shows strong opposition to the name change — 78 voted against it while seven voted for it. However, most of the comments took issue with the cost to the city. Ms. Clark, who represents the Yucca District, which contains University of Phoenix Stadium, wants to make sure the city doesn’t bear the cost.

“I have no problem with giving direction to move forward, but I will state unequivocally that if funding other than city funding cannot be found for that $75,000 dollars, I will not support it,” she said.

Ms. Tolmachoff raised the question of how quickly GPS services like Google Maps would update. Councilman Jamie Aldama of the Ocotillo District then questioned whether the street name would affect public safety or if their databases would update when the GPS systems updated. Mr. Ebersole said Transportation had yet to work with other departments and the public safety aspect would be investigated in the next phase. Both the police and fire chiefs, Rick St. John and Terry Garrison, were at the meeting but chose not to comment on the matter.

Mr. Turner requested that staff research as an option the possibility of a dual name — having signs include “Bethany Home Road” and “Cardinals Way.” Mr. Ebersole pointed out that Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale uses that system where the signs for the exit along Loop 101 display both the new and original road name: Talking Stick Way and Indian Bend Road.

Councilman Ray Malnar of the Sahuaro District requested staff look into the impact when other stadiums have made similar name changes to roads.

“I don’t know if there are other areas that have done this kind of thing and what kind of impact it has had economically,” he said.

Mayor Weiers said that in addition to promoting the Cardinals and Westgate, the signs would show that Glendale supports businesses.

“It shows the city and the Cardinals organization working hand-in-hand,” he said. “And that’s why businesses choose to come here, because they see a comfort factor of businesses.”

Mark Carlisle can be reached at 623-876-2518 or mcarlisle@newszap.com.