Veterans Memorial Park will soon get a new addition that will become the centerpiece of the ever-growing park on South Washington Street.
Allen Monument is donating a nearly 11-foot-tall, 23-foot-wide monument. The project has the VMP board excited and once again in awe of the willingness of the community to support the park.
“We are extremely grateful for Allen Monument for this tremendous donation,” board member Mike Spencer said. “This impressive monument will sit front and center and will be an outstanding visible addition to the park.”
The monument includes a bronze statue of a Vietnam era soldier. Jet black granite with laser-etched military scenes will flank each side of the American hero. The center granite piece is inscribed with the words, “Honoring Those Who Served.”
The military scenes were created by Allen Monument employee Cooper Bowman.
Charlie Allen, manager of Allen Monument, said the project has become a total team effort of the employees.
“Every one of our employees has had a hand in this project,” Allen said. “We are honored to be able to give back to our community. We are not a big company, and we are family owned, but to be able to do this is a real blessing. Our team has put in a lot of man hours on the monument, and we are all taking great pride in the fact we get to add such a significant piece. The park is a great project, and we are thrilled to do what we can for our veterans.”
The value of the donation by Allen Monument is approximately $120,000.
“It is amazing how this monument has come together because we never saw us having such a great piece like this when we first started,” Spencer said. “To think it was just one year ago in March we got the approval to start raising funds for the park and how far we have come is outright amazing. It has become greater than what we envisioned, and it just keeps getting better and better. We are not done; I can say that.”
The monument should be installed sometime in June. Allen Monument is working with B&L Engineering to get the monument set with a crane. The base of the monument alone weighs four tons.
Once installed, the VPM will have an unveiling this summer that will include honoring all the Allen Monument employees.
The actual park dedication is projected to be either in late 2024 or early 2025.
