Four years after it began, the movement to build a Veterans Memorial in the county is about to turn its first shovel of earth.
The Jefferson County Veterans Memorial Committee will hold a ground-breaking ceremony on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, which has donated the site for the memorial.
Earlier this year, the committee scaled back plans for the $300,000 geodesic dome memorial that had been planned. The new design will feature four upright slabs of Missouri red granite set in a plaza of gray granite. The names of county veterans who died in each of the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam will be inscribed on the upright slabs.
Committee chairman Jack Dollar said the final costs of the new design have not been finalized, but he estimated it would be in the neighborhood of $100,000, including in-kind contributions.
The fund had reached $60,000 in May when the decision was made to change the design.
“We have the funds to start,” Dollar said, “but we’re still needing funds for a perpetual fund for maintenance, electrical and so on.”
Dollar said the plan now is to dedicate the finished monument on Memorial Day (May 26), 1997.
“I have a small mock-up in wood that we’ll have at the ground-breaking,” Dollar said. “We’ll have just local dignitaries and college people then. We’ll have a big blowout at the dedication.”
The monument will be located just east of the Fine Arts Building, overlooking the small lake near the entrance to the college. In addition to the granite slabs, the plaza will have benches and poles for the United States, Missouri and MIA-POW flags.
“The ground lays very good and will have wheelchair access from the parking lot,” Dollar said. “We’re very proud the college provided the land.”
Over the past four years, funds have been raised by the committee and veterans groups through dances and personal donations. The committee hopes to raise more funds through sponsorships of individual stones or benches in the memorial.
Contributions may be sent to the Jefferson County Veterans Memorial in care of Eagle Bank, P.O. Box 129, Festus, 63028.
