Park in Grovetown will honor military
A monument for all who have served
Grovetown city officials are on a mission to collect names of active military personnel and veterans.
The names will adorn a commemorative wall planned for a city park.
"It is going to be a very nice monument to honor those who served," Mayor Dennis Trudeau said.
To commemorate the large military presence in Grovetown and Columbia County, the park will feature a double-sided serpentine granite wall inscribed with the names of all Columbia County servicemen and women.
"It is going to have the logos of all the services - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard," Trudeau said, adding that each name will be engraved under the branch in which the person served.
The park is planned for the corner of Old Wrightsboro Road and East Robinson Avenue, between the Grovetown Museum and the gazebo. A Howitzer cannon is already on display.
Any military veteran or active personnel who now lives in Columbia County or did while in the armed forces is being asked to fill out a form to have his or her name put on the wall.
Forms, which ask the service member's name, branch of service and any war or conflict served in, are available at city hall, located at 103 Old Wrightsboro Road.
Trudeau said serving the military in a time of war or conflict is not a requirement.
Personnel from conflicts as far back as the Revolutionary War will be included.
"I've already got about 30 or 40 names of people who served in the Revolutionary War," Trudeau said.
The wall will be surrounded by stone pavers and will be connected by short walkways to the picnic shelter, gazebo and city hall parking lot.
The commemorative pavers will go on sale in September for $40 each. They will include three lines of text and can be purchased for or by anyone; no military service is required.
City officials hope to award the project to one of three companies who recently bid to construct the park. The bids ranged from $120,000 to $259,000. The project will take about 90 days to complete once it is awarded to a company, Trudeau said.
Names on the wall will not be alphabetized; new names will be added twice a year.
Trudeau said engraving the names on the granite panels will take longer to finish. He anticipates being able to hold a dedication ceremony on Memorial Day in May or as late as Veterans Day 2007.
For more information, call city hall at (706) 863-4576.