Petition To Rename Section Of Highway In Chanhassen After Prince Gets 1,300+ Signatures
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Nearly five years after his death, there is a push to re-name a portion of Highway 5 after one of Minnesota's favorite sons. Prince fans want to see a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen renamed to Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway.
The highway renaming is the dream of a group of his biggest fans. They already have the approval of Chanhassen City Council and now they're collecting signatures to present to state lawmakers.
"His music, as amazing as it is, it's what he's done for our community is what is so important," fan Lisa Levine said.
His impact on the area is undeniable. Even streets in the city are named after the songs that made him famous.
"He needs to be remembered permanently in this area," Kreg Levine said.
Kreg and Lisa Levine take pride in being from the city Prince made his home. They are happy to sign the petition to honor the man they say was a big part of Chanhassen.
"His soul is here in town, so I love the idea of naming the highway after him," Lisa Levine said.
The idea for the name change came from life-long Prince fan Mark Webster. He is getting help from other die-hard Prince fans like Bob Finn.
"We just exceeded 1,300 signatures about an hour ago and the petition went live Tuesday morning," Finn said.
Finn and Webster both believe it will take a symphony of voices to help get state legislators to agree to the name change. They also need the family of a former state lawmaker who part of the highway is named after to agree as well.
"Fifty-eight miles of highway is dedicated to August Mueller. What we're asking is we just want 2.3 miles of that from Highway 101 to Galpin," Webster said.
The group is hoping to get everything approved by Prince's birthday in early June.