City officials say Mill Creek Park, which contains four ball fields, space for soccer and the Jim Simmons Trail, is often confused with the neighboring Schwartzkopf Park. The city hopes to rectify that by simply making the entire area Schwartzkopf Park.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Will Channell)
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City council to consider calling entire area Schwartzkopf Park
In the summer of 1965, then-Marysville Councilperson Carl Schwartzkopf donated a seven-acre parcel of land on North Maple Street, next to the Mill Creek bridge, to the village.
That year was his last on council, after four years of service.
More than half a century later, the park that bears Schwartzkopf’s name is about to see an expansion. City officials plan to bring to council an ordinance that will formally remove the Mill Creek Park name, making the area an extension of Schwartzkopf Park.
At last week’s public affairs committee meeting, City Manager Terry Emery said the suggestion for renaming the park came from a council member who said, “it could be confusing.”
The councilperson, Mark Reams, told the Journal-Tribune that he’s heard residents confused the two parks for years. They border each other and it’s often unclear to users where one ends and the other begins.
“I don’t know why we didn’t think of this years earlier,” he said.
He said people often refer to “Schwartzkopf Park” when they mean Mill Creek, and Google Maps labels a large portion of Mill Creek Park as being Schwartzkopf Park.
Additionally, in a parks and recreation survey given to residents last year, respondents had Schwartzkopf Park as one of the most used in the city. Reams said they likely meant Mill Creek Park, which he said he sees used far more frequently.
“Let’s just end the frustration,” he said.
According to an article in the Journal-Tribune at the time of the city’s acceptance of the property, the land was to be used for “park and recreational purposes.” Work began on the park in January, 1966, and council considered names for it. Other names considered were Horseshoe Bend Park and Great Bend Park.
Eventually, officials decided to name it after the man who gave them the land.
Susan Reeder, Schwartzkopf’s daughter, said the land was special to her father. When he was a child, he’d go out and spend time at the creek bend.
“When he was a young man, he would just go out there and sit and think,” she said. “He loved it.”
Emery said the city no longer sees any reason to have two park names in that area.
Committee member Tracy Richardson said when she first moved to Marysville, she was confused by the two parks having different names. Her only concern at renaming the area is the confusion that could come among sports leagues that have Mill Creek Park on their schedules.
“It’ll be a transition to make sure everyone’s aware there’s been a change,” she said.
Richardson asked why the city is going with Schwartzkopf rather than Mill Creek. Once committee member Alan Seymour told her about the former council member, she agreed that his name should be honored.
Emery said the city will make the change known to park users.
“It’s really a simplification,” Emery said.
Schwartzkopf died in 1988, but Reeder said her father would be happy if he could see how his old piece of land was expanding.
“I think it’s just wonderful,” she said. “I think dad would be delighted.”