FY22 Veterans Memorial Grant
The memorial project will include two paved walkways that will connect a seating area with the bike trail. The seating area will be a paved circle area with 3 flags at the top of the circle for the United States flag, the state of Minnesota flag, and a POW/MIA flag. The bottom of the circle will have a seating area with two memorial benches that will face the flags. There will also be a planned monument in the center that lists the names of local veterans. The area surrounding the circle/seating area will have new trees/shrubs planted to landscape the space and provide shade for users. The plan is to leave some space for dedication of future memorial benches that can be donated in honor of local veterans.
Martin Howes, Veteran; Ashley Laganiere, Veteran; Lul Osman, OGM; Sarah Hernandez, OGM; Greg Peterson, Veteran; Jenna Schmidtke, Veteran; Kenneth Voigt, Veteran
$72,750 in Fiscal Year 2022 and $72,750 in Fiscal Year 2023 are for a competitive grants program to provide grants to local units of government for veterans memorials to preserve the culture and heritage of Minnesota. The local unit of government must provide a nonstate cash match equal to the amount of the grant received under this paragraph.?
1) Provide a purpose/use of vacant city land by providing a designated space for non-traditional park users who are not looking for playgrounds or sports, but want a quiet place to sit and reflect.
2) Provide a memorial that honors our local veterans for their service and provides a destination for others to visit and remember their contributions.
3) Increase use of the adjacent trail by providing a connecting destination for trail users to visit, rest, and reflect and a place for those from outside of our community to learn more about local veterans.