Group wants fallen veterans memorial at Central Park

Sat, Dec 5, 2009    to del.icio.us

Local veterans and veteran supporters are hoping their efforts to build a new monument honoring fallen combatants of several world conflicts don't go unnoticed by the Grand Haven City Council.

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The Fallen Heroes Memorial Monument Committee will be present at the City Council work session on Monday to discuss the possible construction of what they're calling the North Ottawa Fallen Heroes Memorial.

"It will be done with class and not just thrown up there," said Gary Byl, secretary of the memorial monument committee.

Plans for the monument call for a three-sided granite structure with names inscribed of those from the Tri-Cities who lost their lives during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and even the Cold War. There would also be room for additional names from more recent conflicts such as the Gulf War.

The group would like the monument to be located in the southeast corner of Central Park near the
intersection of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue inside a sidewalk circle surrounded by park benches.

"I travel a lot, and I see things all over the country that remember the dead," Byl said.

While there are other monuments in the community such as the U.S. Coast Guard memorial along the waterfront, the eternal flame honoring all servicemen and women and a World War I memorial, there isn't a monument in the Tri-Cities dedicated to the individuals who sacrificed their lives during other conflicts, Byl said.

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The committee members will make a several minute presentation and will encourage City Council to approve the construction of the monument.

"We're going to have a bunch of veterans there, yes indeed," said Ken Kelly, co-chairman of the monument committee.

The group plans to bring a small-scale model of the monument to the meeting.

The committee has received numerous petitions of support from people throughout the community, Byl said, and they are working to gather funds to support the cost of construction.

"We've raised some funds so far and have paid for the model" Byl said.

Those involved in the project estimate they would need about $175,000 to $200,000 to construct the project.

This wouldn't be the first time the City Council was asked to decide on the monument being placed at Central Park.

"The last council was not very favorable towards having the monument in Central Park, instead feeling it could go in other locations," Mayor Roger Bergman said.

He said it is premature to say how the new City Council would react to the placement of another monument at Central Park.

Additionally, Bergman said there was some talk at one time of a compromise to build a memorial band shell at the park.

The group's meeting with City Council is scheduled to take place during a work session set for 6:30 p.m. Monday in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 519 Washington Ave.

Also on the agenda is an update on the city's urban deer management plan, the discussion of bidding of Chinook Pier management firms, approval of architectural services for renovations to Chinook Pier and assisting several homeowners with an oak wilt disease elimination strategy.