Merced committee endorses naming splash pad after photojournalist

A city committee has recommended naming a south Merced splash pad after a former Merced Sun-Star photographer who, friends say, is remembered for having a particular love of children.

A committee of Merced Parks and Recreation commissioners and two City Council members voted 5-0 Monday to support naming the play area at Stephen Leonard Park after Marci Stenberg, a request submitted by her former colleagues. Commissioner Bianca Warren and Councilwoman Jill McLeod were absent from the Monday meeting.

Supporters of the idea spoke highly of the 66-year-old Stenberg, who died unexpectedly at her Merced home on Dec. 21, 2012.

Victor Patton, a former editor at the Sun-Star, said Stenberg’s more than 20 years of work and “thousands and thousands” of photos serve as an archive of the city’s history. She took particular pleasure in photographing children, he said.

“I’ve had people tell me in many ways they watched their children grow up through her lens,” he told the Sun-Star in a phone interview.

Whether it was the completion of the G Street underpass, the beginnings of UC Merced or any major event in recent memory, Stenberg was there to capture the images, supporters said.

“Marci never missed anything in this community,” supporter Denise Rossi said.

The city has a process for naming parks but it does not seek names for park amenities such as a splash pad or bike path, said Lindsey Johnson, a recreation supervisor.

In the case of the splash pad, she said, Patton submitted the request to name it. The cost for signage will be the responsibility of the applicant, she said.

The request next goes before the Merced City Council on April 3, according to city staff members.

This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Merced committee endorses naming splash pad after photojournalist."