Weatherford gets veterans memorial in May

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The design for a new city park in Weatherford to honor war veterans is complete. The park, to be named The Parker County Veteran’s Memorial Park, will be located at 700 Eureka St. A groundbreaking is set for May 30, Memorial Day. MARGARITA VENEGAS/DEMOCRAT PHOTO

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April 15, 2011

Weatherford gets veterans memorial in May

Judy Sheridan CNHI The Weatherford Democrat Fri Apr 15, 2011, 08:01 AM CDT

WEATHERFORD — The City of Weatherford and two veterans’ associations hope to break ground on a memorial park on Memorial Day next month.

Proposed by the city, the new city park will be located at 703 Eureka St., where the redesign of the intersection at Jack Borden Way and Santa Fe Drive left a 1,000-square-foot area.

Representatives from VFW Post 4746 and American Legion Post 163 have formally agreed to support the city with design, fundraising and building efforts.

The park was designed by Franz Jeanes Lazo Cora & Associates, Inc., of Fort Worth.

A 45-foot stone obelisk fronted by two pillars will be the memorial’s focal point, VFW Post Commander Max Kassera said. Large stones around the perimeter will bear the names of America’s wars dating back to the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Fundraising efforts began less than a month ago with the sale of memorial bricks; 20,000 of them will make up the walkways. The bricks will be engraved with the names of Parker County veterans and may be purchased for $50, with three lines of engraving, or for $100, with six lines of engraving.

A grassy area in the park will be xeriscaped, Kassera said, and some trees will be taken down and others planted. Benches will be installed.

The total cost is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The veterans’ organizations plan to begin soliciting funds from businesses after the groundbreaking, Kassera said.

Veterans submitted a proclamation naming the park The Parker County Veteran’s Memorial Park to Parker County Commissioners this week in order to gain their support and “get all of us on the same sheet of paper,” Kassera said.

“We want to be partners with a central focus,” he said. “I think this will be a good thing for the city, for us and for the guys.”