Haverhill city councilors approved a plan Tuesday to pay tribute to former Councilor William J. Macek by naming a nearly three-acre park in his honor.
Mayor James J. Fiorentini made the petition, asking the area at 90 Concord St., along Pentucket Lake, more commonly known as Round Pond, be named in his honor.
Longtime friend and former Councilor Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien recounted with emotion some of the many accomplishments of the man who, with 26 years, holds the record for longest serving member of the City Council.
“Not only was he on the City Council all these years, he served for one term as vice president. He was the founder and chair of the Haverhill Housing Partnership Committee. He was a member of the City Growth Management Task Force. He was a chair or member of every City Council subcommittee,” she noted.
Macek was also chairman of the Downtown Parking Commission and, most recently, deputy chief of staff to the mayor.
The petition calls for the area to be designated as the City Councilor William J. Macek Recreational Area. The mayor explained why that area was chosen.
“Bill was an absolutely outstanding guy and we all want to do something for him. We chose this area because Bill Macek lived on Concord Street and lobbied tremendously over the years for that area to be made into a little park,” he said.
The mayor added there would be off-street parking for up to 12 vehicles in the area. He also agreed with a suggestion from Councilor Thomas J. Sullivan to clear some of the brush and trees at that location to provide a better view of the lake.