Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell awarded the Key to the City to former Mayor Mike Park at the council meeting on Tuesday.

“The decision to award the Key to the City to former Mayor Michael Park was the easiest one I’ve made all year,” Ferrell said at the meeting. “He’s quite the deserving recipient.”

Park was appointed to council in 1995, where he served through 2011 for a total of nearly 16 years. He is the only mayor in the city’s history to serve two terms under the previous council-manager form of government. Ferrell noted he had the honor of serving as Park’s deputy mayor during one term.

The mayor said Park also started the Korean/city quarterly meeting, which will celebrate its 28th year in September. He is also one of the founders of the Korean School in Federal Way, which celebrated its eighth anniversary in April. The school now has 220 students.

Ferrell said Park also played a pivotal role in bringing the Korean American National Sports Festival to Federal Way last month.

“One of the things that really stood out to me about Michael during my time serving with him was that he was a stickler for the details when it came to the city budget,” Ferrell said. “He was also very much a forward-thinker when it came to growth in Federal Way.

“But perhaps his greatest skill — and one he really utilizes to this day — is bringing people together. This council and this city would not be where we are at today without the work of Michael Park.”