Renaming a street for King discussed

The consensus appears to favor renaming Broadway Avenue in King's honor.
FARRELL, Pa. -- There seem to be conflicting opinions about what street the city should name after the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Some city officials, responding to a request from members of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Sharon, had suggested last month that Idaho Street, which is in the process of some extensive redevelopment, should be named for the civil rights leader as a part of its rebirth.
Several council members seemed to like the idea, as did the Rev. Leon Avery of Bethlehem Baptist, who attended that meeting.
Mayor William Morocco, however, had conflicting letters from two other community groups when council met Monday.
The mayor said the Mercer County Branch of the NAACP was in support of the Idaho Street plan but that the Shenango Valley Ministerial Association wasn't.
The association said it favors renaming Broadway Avenue after Dr. King and opposes the Idaho Street suggestion, Morocco said.
How this began
The association also pointed out that the original request that a street be named for the slain civil rights leader came in a June letter from Deacon Donald Wright of Bethlehem Baptist, who suggested that Broadway be renamed.
He sent the same letter to the city of Sharon asking that Dock Street in that city be renamed for King, too. (Dock Street becomes Broadway Avenue when it enters Farrell).
Councilwoman Helen Marenchin, who wasn't at the September meeting, said she felt that Idaho Street wasn't fitting for a man of King's stature, and that the entire Broadway corridor extending from Sharon through Farrell and Wheatland and into Hermitage should be renamed in his honor.
Councilman Lou Falconi, who proposed the Idaho Street idea last month, said he couldn't disagree with the broader scope that renaming all of Broadway would bring to the honor and that, hopefully, all the other municipalities will agree.
He said he doesn't want to see the matter become an issue. "We should all be together on this," he said.