Agana Heights Mayor Richard Arroyo surprised the family of the late Mayor Paul M. McDonald, dedicating Tutujan Park in his honor during an intimate ceremony on Friday evening.

The park was built under Gov. Carl Gutierrez's administration and entrusted it to McDonald who served 32 consecutive years as the mayor of Agana Heights.

"Mayor McDonald really took it to heart. ... It's probably one the well-known landmarks of Agana Heights as you first enter the village," Mayor Arroyo said.

Arroyo said the dedication was timed to coincide with the first anniversary of McDonald's death.

"His death anniversary was Wednesday, Aug. 26, it was planned already that I was going to surprise the family, surprise to where we were going to do the dedication ceremony," Arroyo said.

During the dedication ceremony, officials unveiled a plaque featuring a carved image of Mayor McDonald and officially renaming the park to "Mayor Paul M. McDonald Tutujan Park."

"I was in office for a few months when he passed away. ... I talked with Angel Sablan who was very close as well with Mayor McDonald, that we should name Tutujan park after the mayor. So, with some discussion with family members and just close friends and staff, we decided that this one-year anniversary as the time we were going to dedicate the park," Arroyo said.

The plaque states the dedication of the park is "in recognition of his leadership, service and dedication" to the Agana Heights community.

Arroyo said the dedication moved members of McDonald's family to tears.

"Tears of happiness, but also tears they were saying, that he was not there to witness it. But knowing that he was watching from above, they felt his presence there and just his candidness and his personality, you could really feel it in the room. You could tell," Arroyo said. "It's hard to describe, ... but they were very grateful that this is something that's going to be there for generations to come and for them to see it forever being named Paul M. McDonald Tutujan Park."

The plaque will be installed as a permanent fixture when weather conditions permit.