Indiana County Commissioners have issued a news release concerning recent efforts to re-name a county park in the name of a young girl who was found dead in it earlier this month.
After two-year-old Nalani Johnson of Penn Hills was found dead in Pine Ridge park on September 3rd, the Blairsville Community mourned her death and looked for a way to memorialize her. A Change.org petition was started to either re-name the park after Johnson or to install a playground in her name. Since the start of the petition, over 19,000 people have signed the petition. The decision on this matter, though, comes down to the County Commissioners, as they have ultimate approval for the naming of the park.
In a news release, the Commissioners have acknowledged that there are people in favor of this, but there are many who oppose the idea. They call the efforts to honor Nalani extremely commendable and will talk with members of the Parks and Trails Advisory board for the installation of a bench in her memory, but that there are no plans to re-name the park or construct a toddler park in her memory. The commissioners added in their statement that they feel the parks should be known for their “natural beauty and quite respite” they provide, not for the tragedy that occurred earlier this month. The commissioners also suggested that maybe efforts for a toddler park would be better suited for a place close to her home in Penn Hills, and urge organizers to work towards that goal.
