Bethel Park’s Village Green Park to be renamed ‘Moury Park’ this Saturday
This Saturday (March 2) at 10 a.m., past Bethel Park Council President Tim Moury’s political career will be coming full circle as the park that led him to enter into local government will be renamed after him.
Bethel Park’s Village Green Park will be renamed “Moury Park” in honor of his 28 years of service to the Bethel Park community.
“I had an interest in politics early on,” said Moury. “I was interested, but I didn’t ever think that I would run for an office. However, in 1995, I attended a Council public hearing where they were deciding whether to light Village Green Park or not. I went to the meeting because it impacted my home. At that time, there was a lot of political back and forth and a lot wasn’t happening in recreation. When my ward election came up, it was going to be a contested race. But the person who was running called and said he was no longer going to run and asked me to and that’s how it all began. That was in 1995 and I took office in January 1996.”
Bethel Park Council President John Oakes is looking forward to the park name change.
“Council came up with the idea to rename the park after Mr. Moury,” said Oakes. “The idea was unanimously supported by all Council members. Tim Moury is an ambassador for Bethel Park and has been a mentor to all of us on Council.”
And, Bethel Park Manager Kristen Denne agrees.
“Mr. Moury has been a true servant leader for the residents of Bethel Park,” said Denne. “The various organizations that he dedicates his time to in the community have greatly benefited from his many gifts and ability to make things happen. It’s great to be able to show our appreciation for all of the wonderful projects that he’s provided for the community.”
Bethel Park Mayor Jack Allen fully supports the park being renamed.
“First, the park is in the ward he represented, and it’s well deserved with him having been a leader on Council for 28 years,” said Mayor Allen. “He’s done so much for Bethel Park including being the driving force behind the Community Center, Millennium Park, the Splash Park and so much more…he definitely deserves it.”
This Saturday’s ceremony will last approximately 30 minutes and include comments from Bethel Park Councilmembers, local dignitaries and Bethel Park Manager Kristen Denne.
When Moury learned about the event, he was honored.
“We’ve really accomplished a lot as a community, and I was a small part of it; it’s an honor to have this park named after me. This is an acknowledgement of the work we’ve done in Bethel Park over the last 28 years. Parks are important to the community, and we’ve always tried to focus on improving them for our residents.”
During Moury’s tenure as Council President, he and members of Council paid close attention to recreational amenities and particularly took direction from a 2016 recreational study which led them to focus on projects such as the development of Millennium Park, creating the Splash Park opening this spring, and the renovation of other neighborhood parks.
“I think we’ve done a good job of listening to what people wanted and making it happen for them,” said Moury. “We had a lot of people during my tenure on Council that were supportive and like-minded to deal with the issues at hand. As an example, talks about our Community Center started in the late 1980’s and when a referendum to fund it was turned down, we created a plan to accomplish it over time within our current budget and by seeking out grant funds and community involvement while maintaining an affordable tax base.”
Bethel Park Council Vice President Joe Consolmagno is also extremely supportive of naming the park after Moury.
“If there’s any public official that needs a park named after him, it’s Tim Moury. Tim’s backyard almost abuts the park and he’ll be able to look out of his window and see the park and it will always be there with his name on it,” said Consolmagno. “He put a lot of time and effort into all the parks in the Municipality and focused on upgrading them and providing each with its own unique identity under his leadership. We’ll now be continuing the work he and the prior Council started and will continue to focus on our recreational amenities for the future and for all of the new people coming to Bethel Park.”
Village Green Park is located at 7000 Alicia Dr. in Bethel Park. The public is invited to the ceremony; light refreshments will be served.
