Trying to find Franklin Park? It has new name in memory of lawmaker

Franklin Park has been renamed Harriet Spanel Park in honor of the late lawmaker who had ties to the space and the York neighborhood in which it’s located.

Before it was a park, the site on Franklin Street was home to the former Franklin Elementary School from 1904 to 1972 before being demolished in September 1972, according to Jeff Jewell, a researcher at Whatcom Museum.

Spanel’s son attended the school – she and husband Les moved to the city in 1968 and lived in the York neighborhood – and she was integral to saving the land for a city park when the site was no longer part of the school district, according to the City of Bellingham.

Spanel died Feb. 2, 2016. She was 77.

A community activist and Democrat, she served in the state Legislature from 1987 to 2009. She also was known as a community activist.

And who was the Franklin that the school, park and street were named after? That would be Benjamin Franklin, Jewell said.

City officials also said the park has received new playground equipment – the old equipment was damaged in June when a van plowed through a fence and into the park.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Trying to find Franklin Park? It has new name in memory of lawmaker."