(Posted Aug. 2, 2018)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
The South Charleston veterans memorial project is on the move.
Originally, the plan was to install the tribute near the pool at Community Park along U.S. Route 42. That plan has since changed.
“We ran into a little snag with the (original) site. We have a new site lined up. We’re not ready to announce it quite yet, but we’re close and we’re excited about it,” said Kathy Mercer, advisor to Southeastern High School’s student council.
Two years ago, the student council joined forces with the South Charleston Community Club to raise funds for a veterans memorial. The memorial will honor anyone who has served in the military, whether in wartime or not.
To date, the group has raised approximately $20,000. Mercer said the first phase of the project will cost $30,000.
The focal point is a granite monument etched with military images, a saying, and a poem. The monument will sit on a concrete star surrounded by personalized brick pavers, and a lit flag pole featuring the American flag.
The second phase, estimated to cost $20,000 to $30,000, will include a half-wall, memorial benches, poles for flags from each of the branches of the military, and a walkway paved with additional personalized bricks.
“We have the monument ordered. We hope to break ground in the fall or in the spring,” Mercer said.
The group is working with Dodds Monuments out of Springfield. Members of South Charleston American Legion Post 176 have committed to providing upkeep for the project once its done.
The group continues to take orders for personalized bricks. Bricks honoring military personnel will be placed around the monument. Those honoring anyone else will line the walkway leading up to the monument. The cost is $75 for a 4×8-inch brick with three lines of text (up to 20 characters per line) and $125 for an 8×8-inch brick with six lines of text.
“We’ve sold about 85 pavers so far,” Mercer said, adding that efforts are being made to start a fund for anyone who would like to purchase a brick but doesn’t have the financial means to do so.
Brick order forms are available at Security National Bank, 102 S. Chillicothe St., and Shoemakers IGA, 111 S. Chillicothe St.
Organizers also are setting up booths at area festivals and events, where they will have forms on hand and sell t-shirts and bracelets. Coming up, they will be at the Cruizin’ the Park car show Aug. 18 at Community Park and South Charleston’s Market in the Alley, an outdoor market held the first weekend of each month.
Tax deductible donations also can be made directly to a fund set up at Security National Bank. Checks can be made out to “CC Veterans Memorial Fund” and mailed to P.O. Box 159, South Charleston OH 45368.
For more information, contact Kathy Mercer at (937) 477-4787 or Leonard Kadel at Security National Bank, (937) 462-8368.
