Street Renamed for Artsakh in Glendale

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GLENDALE (Glendale News-Press) — A sign for Artsakh Avenue — formerly a stretch of Maryland Avenue — was unveiled Tuesday, October 2, during a street naming ceremony hosted by the city of Glendale.

The event drew officials from near and far: All five Glendale City Council members were present, in addition to state Sen. Anthony Portantino and Robert Avetisyan, a US representative for Artsakh, which is a contested republic between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Permanent representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh) in the United States Robert Avetisyan, left, and Glendale city council members and unveil new street sign name during ceremony that changed the 100 north and south blocks of Maryland Ave. to Artsakh Ave., in Glendale on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The name change goes from Wilson to Harvard and businesses affected can apply for a $1,000 grant to use for expenses related to the name change. All five members of the city councilmembers were present, including mayor Zareh Sinanyan, second from left, Ara Najarian, center, Vartan Gharpetian, second from right and Paula Devine, right. Councilmember Vrej Agajanian was off to the left, out of frame. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

In June, the City Council voted 4-0 to rename a two-block section of Maryland Avenue, between Wilson Avenue and Harvard Street, to Artsakh Avenue.

During the decision-making process, Councilman Ara Najarian said it was overdue to have a street referencing the city’s large Armenian-American community.

Approval of the name change followed months of heated debate between stakeholders including business owners, Glendale residents and Unified Young Armenians, a group of activists who proposed the name change in February.

To address business owners’ concerns that the name change will adversely affect them, the city set aside $1,000 for each of the 131 businesses on the two-block portion of the street to help cover costs of reprinting materials with new addresses.

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Businesses can apply for the money as a grant.

Artsakh Representative to the US Robert Avetisyan speaks.

 

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