MyCentralJersey.com: Montgomery breaks ground on veterans memorial
The township has broken ground on the long-awaited Montgomery Veterans Memorial.
With plans that call for honoring veterans from as far back as the American Revolution, the memorial at Montgomery Park will be the culmination of nearly 20 years of planning and changes in location.
The memorial will have five three-sided pillars engraved with the names of veterans and the wars in which they served.
On Friday, officials from the township and the Montgomery Veterans Memorial Committee hosted a ground-breaking ceremony at the site, which sits at the highest point of Montgomery Park, in a grove of trees near the sharp turn in Harlingen Road.
"It has a special air and a special sense about it, which sort of sets it apart," said Hugh Dyer, chairman of the Montgomery Veterans Memorial Committee. "So we think the location is ideal."
While discussions for the memorial began two decades ago, Dyer said the committee started a "serious" fundraising drive in 2002. But the $200,000 project has been delayed for several years because of changes in location.
Township officials said in a news release that the veterans memorial committee has raised enough money to begin the project, which is funded entirely by private contributions. About $20,000 is needed to complete the first phase, which includes the engraved pillars and also calls for a central pentagram, a small plaza, flagpoles, basic lighting and landscaping.
The second stage will cost about $110,000, the news release said. It will allow the memorial to include a full outer plaza, finished walkways, granite benches and enhanced landscaping details.
"We're going to build as much of memorial as we possibly can," Dyer said. "If we don't build the whole thing, we'll continue our fundraising efforts until we have all the resources to build the whole memorial."
ON THE WEB: Visit www.MontgomeryVeteransMemorial.org for a list of Montgomery's veterans and for information on how to donate to the Montgomery Veterans Memorial.
