The Parkville community celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking on its long-awaited veterans memorial last weekend with a special guest.
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill was one of several speakers at the ceremony, held Saturday, Sept. 15 in English Landing Park.
Navy veteran Jim McCall, who chairs the veterans committee, spoke on the long road to this point. Other speakers were Parkville mayor Nan Johnston, alderman Greg Plumb and Park University president Dr. Greg Gunderson. Represenatives from several veterans organizations also participated.
The monument, which was designed by alderman Phil Wassmer prior to his appointment to the board, will feature a spherical water feature, surrounded by a star representing the five branches of the military. The small plaza will be placed in a landscaped field featuring walkways, benches and a row of flags.
The memorial will be built in the current location of Ballfield One, as the city also plans to relocate and renovate its ballfields in the near future.
While the city talked for years about creating a memorial, the project only gained steam within the last year. Last fall, the committee solicited ideas for designs of a memorial and allowed the public to vote, both online and at the annual Christmas on the River event.
Earlier this month, the board of aldermen approved an agreement with the committee to allow donations to be directly made into a city-supervised construction fund. Several fundraisers are planned, and donations may be made on the city website at parkvillemo.gov.