ONTARIO, Ohio—The roadway dubbed “Urwin Parkway” in Ontario’s Industrial Park was dedicated Thursday in honor of the late former mayor of Ontario, Robert Urwin.
Urwin was a longtime council member and served as mayor from 1992-1997.
“He was instrumental in bringing much of that business along Lex-Springmill,” said Fred Kohler, a volunteer with the Ontario Growth Corporation.
Kohler worked with Urwin at Ohio Brass before Urwin became mayor. “Bob was a community person,” he said. “He was all about community and he worked very hard at going out and seeing what businesses he could bring in here.”
He said that it seemed fitting for the roadway, which leads to what will soon be a new FedEx facility, to be named in Urwin’s memory.
A handful of people braved the cold to attend the dedication ceremony; among them was Urwin’s daughter, Jan Smith.
Smith declined to comment, but instead provided a letter that she prepared in advance of the ceremony. In the letter she writes, “My dad and I were very close and today really means a lot to me. I’m very proud of all of his accomplishments and for everything that he stood for.”
She continued, “My dad loved this community and he loved the people in it. He worked very hard to try to make Ontario a place for all of us to be proud of. He was instrumental in making this city what it is today.”
Mayor Randy Hutchinson presented her with a road sign that read “Urwin Pkwy,” as a memento.
Hutchinson said, “I had the pleasure of working with Bob Urwin as an officer. I worked under him for a few years and he did a lot for this city…Talk about a 24/7 mayor…He really worked hard for the village back then and to get everything out here.”
The road will be open on Monday, Dec. 8, said the mayor.
Mark Weidemyre, Chairman of Economic Development at the City of Ontario, said local contractor Lee Excavating installed the roadway, along with the sewer and water systems, for roughly $1 million.
“We did get some money from the state [to pay for the project], which Richland Community Development Group helped us with,” said Weidemyre. “We got a (629) grant in the amount of about $170,000 from the state to help with this project.”
“We actually used TIF proceeds to pay for the rest of the roadway,” he added.
The road leads to what will be the new FedEx facility, which is slated to be open in the summer of next year, said Weidemyre.
