The Santa Clarita Parks Commission approved one military veteran’s plan for a monument honoring the SCV’s fallen warriors Thursday.
“The commission voted unanimously to support the proposal but wants the City Council to work with stakeholders to find the most appropriate location,” City Parks Director Rick Gould said. “(That) could be the Veterans Historical Plaza but it might be another location in the community.”
It is unclear when the proposal will advance to the City Council, Gould said, since the commission still needs to come up with a location. City staff recommended that the monument go somewhere other than Veterans Historical Plaza in Newhall, where the proponent wants it, because the design would be inconsistent with the original design of the plaza, according to a staff report.
“I was frustrated with the process but I was pleased with the outcome,” said Bill Reynolds, a Vietnam veteran and the man behind the plan and design of the memorial.
“The base of this monument is designed to perfectly match the existing waterfalls (at the plaza in Newhall),” he said. “The waterfalls are not impacted in any way, shape or form. The war memorial would be placed such that it would not impede pedestrian traffic in any way.”
Reynolds’ conceptual monument plan.
Reynolds’ design concept includes a granite wall bearing the names of SCV residents killed in action from World War I to the present.
>> See Reynolds’ proposal in [this video].
Construction of the 8-by-6-foot wall at the Veterans Historical Plaza would require the removal of a decorative flower urn that was purchased by local businessmen, the staff report said.
“There’s so much consternation and angst about removing a flower urn that is unsightly and unused,” said Reynolds.
Recognition at the plaza is currently given to fallen soldiers via commemorative bricks with name of the honoree, the year killed, and a star. There are 14 such bricks installed at the plaza.
“I look at it from this standpoint: If (the monument) is placed there, it would have all the names of our fallen soliders. It just seems that it’s a disrespect for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, to have bricks in the sidewalk where people walk,” Reynolds said.
The monument is projected to cost $45,115, according to information presented to the commission.
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5 Comments
$45,11 seems such a bargain…so you might want to edit and add the missing digit(s).
Just to clarify a few items: The granite monument’s firm price is $45,115 which includes crating, shipping & installation. However, it does not include a crane, a crane operator or necessary concrete work for the monument’s base. These items have been pledged by a local Vietnam Veteran/Contractor (who wishes no fanfare). The names engraved will be those SCV’s fallen warriors from WWII to present and space will be available to add more names as necessary (we sincerely hope not).
“Picture This on Granite” purposely designed this beautiful artistic fallen warriors monument to perfectly match the existing amenities at our Veterans Historical Plaza. And yes, it requires removal of a small unused flower urn that’s simply filled with dirt and has a broken drip line exposed. I say it’s very well worth the price of removal to properly honor our fallen heroes.
This monument would be installed adjacent to the existing War story boards where existing park benches and lighting exists. Furthermore, the granite monument’s thickness is eight inches and the height is 6′-0″. The base is 8′-6″ long and matches perfectly our existing waterfalls. This will not impede pedestrian foot traffic, nor the open feel to our outstanding Veterans Historical Plaza. This represents a major portion of our history.
A number of our WWII fallen warriors are buried at sea and on foreign soil, so having them honored in our Veterans Plaza among their brothers is the honorable thing to do.
It should be noted that this proposal which enhances and upgrades our Veterans Historical Plaza is right in line with the City’s massive changes and excellent renovations that are occurring right there in downtown Newhall.
I thought it prudent to provide this 2 minute video that illustrates our proposal:
I think until WAR ends we will see this as a work in progress, I can think of no other thought than my 10 Year US NAVY grandson seeing what our community as done. He walked and looked at all the names and I could see more was going through his head. He is current our generation and appreciates all the progress at Verternans Park. The signatures gathered for World War One would need to be matched to consider it does not go where it is designed for. This City has a bad habit of making plans and stallling the end results. Look at our renovation committees lack of speed to get the job done. My vote is bring it to Vet. Park.
I wish the base looked less like a casket.