Funds for memorial park plans get OK

Grovetown officials approved money to continue plans for a memorial park at Monday's semimonthly city council meeting.

The council approved $5,400 to pay a company to draw up contracts and bid out the project.

Mayor Dennis Trudeau said he hopes the park commemorating Columbia County service members will be complete by Veterans Day on Nov. 11, though no start date has been set for construction.

The park is planned for the corner of Old Wrightsboro Road and East Robinson Avenue, between the Grovetown Museum and the gazebo.

The park, which is estimated to cost between $80,00 and $100,000, also will feature a military howitzer cannon on display. The cannon is being cleaned at Fort Gordon and is expected to be delivered to the site in the next few weeks, Trudeau said.

The park will feature a double-sided, serpentine, granite wall inscribed with the names of the county's service members listed under the insignia of their military service branch.

"We're going to need some vehicle to collect names of all the people who served any of the five service branches," Trudeau said at Monday's meeting.

Trudeau said veterans who live in Columbia County or did when they served or family members of a deceased service member should call City Hall at (706) 863-4576.

The caller should have the service member's name and service branch. Trudeau said serving the military in a time of war or conflict is not a requirement.

Although the memorial wall and park will be located within the city, Trudeau said it is for service members of the entire county.

"I'd like to see them all in one place," Trudeau said. If enough space is available, the wall will include military veterans from the Civil War, too.

The granite wall will be surrounded by stone pavers and will be connected by short sidewalks to the picnic shelter, gazebo and City Hall parking lot. The pavers will be sold to be imprinted.

The paver bricks can be purchased by anyone for themselves or in memory of someone else.