Honoring a Mayor: Hilliard Council Weighs Park Renaming for Tim Ward
Hilliard City Council is considering naming one of the city’s municipal parks in memory of former Hilliard Mayor Tim Ward, who served one term as mayor from 2000 through 2003, and died in October at the age of 66 from cancer.
Ward’s daughter, and only child, Ellie, appealed to Hilliard City Council in January to consider naming a park for Ward in recognition of the some of the groundwork he laid during his only term as mayor and on which his successor, Mayor Don Schonhardt built upon.
Schonhardt served four terms as mayor, from 2004 through 2019, until Hilliard voters amended the City Charter to replace the strong mayor form of government with that of a city manager.
Councilman Les Carrier said there is some support within City Council for the initiative but acknowledged there is not across-the-board support on City Council or within the administration.
It is within the purview of City Council to choose a mode to honor or memorialize Ward.
Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park is named in honor of the 91-year-old Reynolds who served as mayor from 1975 until 1999. He and his wife, Phyllis, live in Hilliard.
No permanent edifice is named for Schonhardt but his name is on a dedication plaque at Hilliard’s Station Park and several other places constructed during his time as mayor.
Ellie ward asked City Council to consider extended a similar courtesy to her father.
Council members did not publicly weigh in on the her request at their meeting but Council President Tina Cottone suggested Ellie Ward submit proposed parks to be renamed to the council clerk for City Council’s consideration.
Cottone did present Ellie Ward, on behalf of City Council, a resolution acknowledging Ward’s contributions to the City of Hilliard.
The park that appears to be under consideration is Hilliard East Park, adjacent to the Clyde “Butch” Seidle Community Pool, on Schirtzinger Road.
Formerly known as the Hilliard East Pool for decades after the city took ownership of it (the East Pool was once a privately operated pool for the residents of the Ridgewood subdivision in Norwich Township) it was renamed in memory of Butch Seidle, who died in 2019 at the age of 68, following an illness, only months after retiring as the city’s service director, a position he had held since 2004.
There is also a public street named in memory of another city employee, former Development Director David Meeks died in 2017 at the age of 53, from cancer. Meeks retired as development director and moved with his family from Dublin to Arizona after his cancer diagnosis.
The city named a connector street and access road between Britton Parkway and Lyman Drive, immediately north of and parallel to Cemetery Road, in memory of Meeks and in recognition of his contributions while development director toward infrastructure improvements in the city .
The proposed name of Hilliard East Park is Timothy A. Ward Memorial Park, according to his daughter, Ellie.
Ward was a U.S. Navy veteran and also served as director of the Madison County Board of Elections.