It may just be a small stretch of road, but ask about renaming a section of the Sumner-Buckley Highway at CJ’s Carry Out Deli and you are liable to get an earful from some of the people who have lived in this area their entire life.

“We have a huge connection to this road. It’s who we are,” said CJ’s owner Connie Swarthout, who grew up in the area and who’s business is located on the stretch of the Sumner-Buckley that might be renamed. “Leave it the way it is. Find another road.”

With the city council poised to rename the stretch of the Sumner-Buckley Highway that runs from state Route 410 around to Angeline Road as a memorial for veterans and first-responders, Swarthout and a handful of her customers Friday afternoon were very vocal about maintaining a connection to their past.

Most, including Swarthout, support the idea of honoring veterans and other first-responders, but just not on that particular roadway.

“There should be a city street named for veterans, but this is the wrong street,” said Scott Corliss, a local developer who grew up in the area and now owns the Kelley Farm (located on the stretch of Sumner-Buckley Highway in unincorporated Pierce County). “You need to respect the history.”

“You don’t have to destroy something to build something, especially when there’s a million roads being built in Bonney Lake,” Swarthout said. “You give new roads new names.”

The Bonney Lake city council is expected to pass a measure renaming the road during Tuesday’s meeting. The idea has been floated in the past, but Councilmember Mark Hamilton, who is spearheading the effort, said he was inspired by the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to restart discussions on the matter.

The majority of the council agreed with Hamilton and during the Sept. 20 council workshop, the council discussed possible names. While no specific name was decided, “Memorial Drive” was a favorite as it could honor both veterans and other first-responders, such as former Fire Chief Dan Packer, whose memorial is also along that stretch of road.

“Memorial Drive is a little more encompassing,” said David Colbeth, president of the Greater Bonney Lake Veterans Memorial Committee and a former combat engineer in the U.S. Army.

Colbeth and his group have been trying to find a location in Bonney Lake for a veterans memorial and said the name change would be a step in that direction.

“Finally taking the steps to honor veterans or people that have served is wonderful,” he said. “It’s something well-needed and well-deserved.”

“It can only help us in getting a memorial built,” he added.

But while there is support for the name change on the city council, many of the 26 businesses on that stretch of road do not.

For most, the issue is one of cost and name recognition.

“We have enough trouble with people knowing we’re even here, let alone changing the name of the street,” said Steve Marks, a partner at B Natural Music.

Michelle Armstrong, owner of Computer Shack said she had just re-upped her advertising in the phone book and said a name change would hurt her. She also said customers have complained about finding the business as it is due to confusion between the road also being called the Old Buckley Highway.

Swarthout also worried about the costs of changing the name, not only to her advertising, but to the city in changing signs and other markers.

Swarthout called the change a “slap in the face” to the small businesses because any money that is spent should be to help the businesses, not change the names of roads, though her main concern was the history that would be lost.

Hamilton said he understood there would be costs involved in the change that may place a slight burden business owners and taxpayers, but felt the cost was negligible.

“Frankly, it’s a small price to pay to honor a group of people who have one so much for this country,” he said.

Jeff Ward, whose State Farm office is located on the stretch to be renamed said he would have to update his advertising, business cards and about 100 websites, but admitted the cost was not his top concern.

“Not that big a deal,” he said, adding that customers often express confusion about the various names for the road now. “I’m willing to do that.”

But Ward said he was not thrilled with a generic name like “Memorial Drive” and said he would prefer the name reflect Bonney Lake, like perhaps be named after a local veteran.

The Bonney Lake city council is expected to vote on the name change during their regular council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.