Public meeting scheduled to solicit ideas for
memorial honoring war heroes

The City will hold a public meeting from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27 in the Municipal Auditorium basement, 100 Auditorium Circle. The purpose of this meeting is, to discuss planning and design The Veterans Memorial Plaza is home to four other military memorials: the Municipal Auditorium, dedicated to American soldiers killed in WWI; the War Mothers Memorial honoring mothers whose sons also fought in WWI; a sculpture honoring Vietnam War Veterans; and a sculpture dedicated to Korean War Veterans.  All of these memorials are located across from Auditorium Circle at Jefferson and Martin Streets.

The City has selected Barbara Grygutis – a nationally renowned artist from Tucson, Arizona – to design and create the Medal of Honor memorial. As we embark on the development phase of the project, Ms. Grygutis will be conducting meetings with downtown stakeholders, veteran’s organizations and military groups, businesses, and Medal of Honor recipients and family members. The consultant will also conduct two public meetings throughout the year to hear the public’s thoughts and ideas and discuss planning and design possibilities (Please refer to calendar for schedule of events with the design consultant, Barbara Grygutis, on the projected Medal of Honor (MOH) memorial, as she enters into the research and design phase.   

Ms. Grygutis is a national renowned artist from Tucson, Arizona. One of her most notable projects is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Columbia, Missouri. In June of 2007 Mayor Phil Hardberger took the first steps toward creating this historical project. After renaming the “Auditorium Circle Historic District” to “Veterans Memorial Plaza Historical District”, Mayor Hardberger commissioned the City’s Veterans Affairs Commission to create a memorial to honor local Medal of Honor recipients. The MOH project will be fully funded by private donations. The memorial will complement downtown’s tourist attractions, and the planned Performing Arts Center, slated for the Municipal Auditorium.

Contact: Di Galvan/207-7239; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or
Carmelina Davis/207-6529; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .