By William C. Lhotka
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
CLAYTON, Mo. — A judge was set to hear a request today to change the name of the Normandy Fire Protection District to the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District.
The board of directors petitioned for the name change in a suit filed recently in St. Louis County Circuit Court. Judge Steven H. Goldman has been assigned the case.
The petition is based on a resolution the board adopted Aug. 21. It says the new name would reflect that the district provides emergency medical care as well as firefighting, and that it covers more than the city of Normandy.
The district also includes unincorporated parcels of St. Louis County, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the cities of Bel-Nor, Bel-Ridge, Bellerive Acres, Beverly Hills, Cool Valley, Country Club Hills, Glen Echo Park, Northwoods, Norwood Court, Pasadena Hills, Pasadena Park, Pine Lawn, Velda City and Velda Village Hills.
The resolution states that the name change would end confusion for those who wrongly believe the district is a department within the city government of Normandy instead of an independent agency.
There is substantial precedent for the name change. For similar reasons, the old Wellston district is now Mid-County; Chesterfield is now Monarch; Moline Acres is now Metro-North; and Ballwin is now Metro-West.
Copyright 2008 St. Louis Post-Dispatch