Wednesday, October 18, 2000:

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From Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, December 13, 1996

City approves renaming Avenue H after Buddy Holly

By ANGELA K. BROWN
Avalanche-Journal

For some area residents, the argument over naming a Lubbock street after Buddy Holly wasn't whether to do it, but where.

Although Avenue H has been the venue preferred by the Chamber of Commerce, which has pushed the name change since July, others said Avenue Q was a better route because it runs through the center of town.

"There's better growth potential on Avenue Q,'' Irma Guerrero of the United People for the Betterment of Llano Estacado told the City Council on Thursday. "We need to think big.''

But after the public hearing, the council stood by the chamber's proposal and voted 4-0 to rename part of Avenue H to Buddy Holly Avenue. The change will be final - on the span of road from Municipal Drive to about 24th Street at Interstate 27 - if members approve the action again at the Dec. 19 meeting.

The council has the power to rename Avenue Q, a state road - an idea that surfaced last year, said Chamber of Commerce Chairman Joe McKay. But officials thought Avenue H, which is developing into an entertainment venue, should bear the name of the Lubbock native and music legend, McKay added.

Some who objected to the renaming said companies on Avenue H would have the added expense of new stationery plus lost business if people were confused about the street's name and couldn't find the stores.

To minimize problems, Avenue H signs at nonmajor intersections can remain on one side of the street for a year, and Buddy Holly Avenue signs will be on the other side, said Randy Henson, the city's senior planner.

Although the new name won't appear in the Southwestern Bell telephone book because the book's deadline has passed, the change will be in the Feist directory if the council's second vote on the matter is in December, McKay said.

Feist officials said Thursday they had to check with the production office in Wichita, Kan., today before confirming that the new street name would appear in their publication.

To make the transition easier for companies on Avenue H, the chamber will consider paying for business cards and other costs related to the new name, McKay added. The U.S. Postal Service will deliver mail addressed to either street name for one year after the change.