In light of the discovery that a former Mayor dedicated the school gym to Karl Ward, the borough assembly has directed manager Debra Schnabel to create a policy for naming public facilities.

Last week four men came forward alleging Ward sexually abused them or approached them inappropriately when they were students. Ward, who died 21 years ago, was a school teacher and administrator for 22 years in Haines.

Many residents characterized the abuse and inappropriate behavior as an open secret that went on for decades beginning as early as the 1960s. In 1994, Mayor Sharan Van Winkle dedicated the gym to Ward and a sign was presented later that year during the graduating class’ commencement ceremony.

Schnabel said that while the school district will address the gym’s name, the creation of a policy for naming facilities might be warranted. “It opened up for me the larger question of whether or not our community wanted to develop a policy for naming things for people,” Schnabel said.

The assembly discussed Schnabel’s suggestion to create a vetting process or not name places after people at all.

Assembly member Sean Maidy said the manager should establish a procedure for vetting by way of public hearing or written comments for naming and removing names.

Assembly member Heather Lende wondered if the assembly should be naming places after people. “Starting a whole vetting process, who knows if that would have, given the time, if that would have changed anything in this case,” Lende said. “It sounds like it might not have because of people being reluctant to come forward. I almost think it’s best just not to go there anymore.”

Assembly member Tom Morphet disagreed and said naming places after people is a way to connect people to “that part of history that is noble or admirable or worthy of remembering.” Morphet suggested that places should only be named after those who have already died.

“I reported on a couple cases of very honorable people kind of going sideways there at the end so I think you can estimate a person much more fairly, what their true legacy is, after they have died,” Morphet said.

The manager will bring a naming policy proposal back to the assembly at its next meeting. Mayor Jan Hill also addressed revelations of sexual abuse and said she will draft a letter to read publicly.

“People are wondering what the borough’s going to do in regard to that,” Hill said. “I want the community to know we are dealing with this situation and this issue and I appreciate the sensitivity that I’ve seen. Whether something like this ever happened to you personally, it affects this whole community.”

Morphet told the CVN this week the borough owes Ward’s victims an apology.

“As ostensibly small as the gesture may seem so many years later, the Haines Borough government must apologize to the people hurt by Ward,” Morphet wrote. “Ward was near the top of our government and while leaders today are assumed to be removed by time from complicity in these crimes, we represent the government of the same town that enabled Ward’s actions by putting him in a position of power.”

The Haines school board wrote a public apology that’s published in this week’s paper.

Since last week’s story about Ward was published, another man told the CVN on Monday that he was also abused.

Herb Gulliford said Ward invited him to his home in 1979, several years after Ward retired as superintendent. Gulliford said he thought Ward was going to discuss college plans with him. “He hugged me really hard when I came in the door,” Gulliford said. “He had been drinking. He ended up mixing me a drink, sat down beside me and started fondling my leg.”

Gulliford said he immediately left and told his mother, who confronted Ward. Gulliford said Ward denied the allegation. Ward later called him and offered him money to come back to his house, Gulliford said.

Gulliford is the fifth man to come forward since last Monday.