A proposition to change the name of State Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Street has stirred debate in the Ithaca community.

In a public forum Monday, area residents had their chance to tell the board of public works, which is in charge of deciding the names of streets, where they stand on the possible renaming of State Street. The meeting took place only hours before the death of King’s wife, Coretta Scott.

Those in favor of renaming the street said it would be a tribute to a man who fought courageously for civil rights while many against the project said it is an ill-placed necessity and a financial burden. Larry Shinagawa, director of Ithaca College’s Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity, said State Street links together many community members in this area including blacks, Asian- Americans and members of the Cayuga Nation.

“To leave it State Street, a governmental name, I don’t think gives it enough justice,” he said. “The renaming will leave a legacy of what we could be in the 21st century in Ithaca.”

In 2004, members from Ithaca High School’s Circle of Recovery class, a group made up of recovering drug and alcohol addicts, said they wanted to do something in the community that would leave a legacy and impact people. With their facilitator, Gino Bush, a community activist at the helm of the project, the group set out to rename Green Street in honor of King. After presenting the initial idea in August 2004, Bush revised his request, targeting State Street instead. “Every time you visualize something, it gives you pause,” Bush said. “If you see a street sign that has a significant name on it and you can identify with it, then you think. Even subconsciously, you’re still doing it.”

In December, the group presented a petition with more than 1,200 signatures from area residents and 48 businesses. The signatures were collected by activists and Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars from Ithaca College.

Community members in favor of the name change who attended Monday’s meeting said a tribute to King in Ithaca is long overdue. Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards and streets can be found in cities like St. Paul, Minn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Baltimore, Md.

Mayor Carolyn Peterson, chairwoman of the board of public works, said a decision about the street being renamed would be best decided with community input. “This is clearly a decision that’s arousing a great deal of either concern or passion of emotion on many sides of the issue,” Peterson said. Freshman Crystal Clark said the change would have a positive influence on everyone in the community, not just black residents. “[King’s] message was one of justice, equality and human rights for all,” she said. “This message needs to be communicated to the unknowing.” Renaming State Street would do this, she said.

Nathan Shinagawa, representative for the Tompkins County Legislature from the Fourth District and son of Larry Shinagawa, said a street is metaphorically like the struggle for social justice.

“A street is something that we have to walk down every single day,” he said. “The struggle, just like a street, has its stop signs, it has its potholes.”

Ithaca’s Common Council representative Mary Tomlan, from the Third Ward, said associating the street with conversations of manhole covers and paving would not effectively honor King’s memory.

She said emphasis should be put into another public venue “where his name and life could inspire those who use the facility and where people, programs and possibilities would bear witness to his life and leadership in ways that discussions about potholes and pollution never can.”

Edward Moscato, who runs Andrew’s Agency on West State Street, said the city should have spent more time planning the idea. He estimated it would cost him about $5,000 if the street name changed.

“We already have a national holiday in honor of Dr. King, and I wonder what very small percentage of Americans take any time at all to honor his name,” Moscato said.

The city estimates the project’s cost at $10,000, which would cover new street signs and changes on city documents, maps and the 911 system. The post office said it would give residents at least a year to change all mailings before the mail would be returned to the sender.

Margo Chaly, a sophomore MLK Scholar, said if the street project goes through, she will be eager to move off campus in the future.

“I will be proud and privileged to give directions to my home by way of a road named after a man who lived to learn,” she said.

Other ideas proposed at Monday night’s meeting included renaming The Commons, State Street Bridge, a park, a library or a community building to honor King. Many people who were in favor of the idea offered donations and time to help those businesses that would be affected.

A vote has not been set, but community members will have another chance to voice their opinions at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall. Comments can be submitted to the Board of Public Works, 108 E. Green St., or City Clerk Julie Holcomb at julieh@cityofithaca.org.