I think most of the residents of Rolla and surrounding communities who attended the Dedication of Veterans Memorial Park on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2009 at 11 a.m. will agree that the appropriate and well-earned recognition of our veterans, and what they have sacrificed while serving their country, is long overdo.
It was heartening, to say the least, to see scores of individuals – many of whom were U.S. veterans, walk for blocks, along Southview Drive, to attend the historic park dedication services on Nov. 11. Seeing the newly paved parking lot (a $37,000 donation of materials and labor donated by Rolla Asphalt) quickly fill up with veterans and their families and friends, and 150 programs disappear in minutes, was all the proof necessary to confirm that creating and dedicating a park for our veterans was not only a good thing to do for our community, but the right thing to do for our veterans.
And if momentum is a good indicator of future success, and in most instances it is, then the next phase of Veterans Memorial Park is perhaps not that far off. In fact, with the kind of grassroots support and community collaboration that exists for the completion of Veterans Memorial Park, it wouldn’t surprise me if we see many of the proposed enhancements take place in the not so distant future.
During and after the dedication on Nov. 11 many individuals expressed an interest in contributing to Veterans Memorial Park both through monetary and in-kind donations, which we fortunately received from numerous businesses, individuals and organizations during the first phase of the park. If you would like to make a monetary contribution to Veterans Memorial Park, please contact Norman Ragan, Treasurer of the South Central Regional Veterans Group (SCRVG), at (573) 364-1147 or at nragan@embarqmail.com. If you would like to send a donation in the mail, please address it to Mr. Ragan at: 11995 County Road 8010, Rolla, MO 65401. For more information about the SCRVG, which played an integral role in the creation, planning and dedication of Veterans Memorial Park, please visit their Website at www.scrvg.com. If you would like to make an in-kind contribution to the park in the way of materials, equipment or labor, please contact Ken Kwantes, the City’s Director of Parks and Recreation, at (573) 341-2386 or at kwantes@rollacity.org.
It was most fitting at last Monday’s City Council meeting that Councilman Stan Spadoni, a Korean War and Viet Nam War veteran, made a motion for the City to prepare a resolution to name the portion of the street on Southview Drive where the park is located, from Hwy. 72 to Winchester, “Veterans Memorial Park Drive.” His motion was quickly seconded, and I’m pretty confident the resolution will be passed so that further recognition can be given to the veterans of this area who have given so much in their selfless service to our country.
In closing, I would like to remind everyone that Rolla City Hall, (located at 901 N. Elm Street), will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. The Environmental Services Department will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Thursday’s trash will consequently be picked up on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and there will be no special pick-ups on Wednesday. For more information regarding the holiday trash pick-up schedule, please call (573) 364-6693. The Centre, Rolla’s Health and Recreation complex, (located at 1200 North Holloway Street), will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, and will be open the following day on Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
On behalf of the Rolla City Council, I would like to wish all of our residents, merchants and community members, and family and friends a memorable Thanksgiving holiday weekend! And a special debt of gratitude goes out to all of the men and women from all the branches in the U.S. military who are serving at Fort Leonard Wood and those who are serving elsewhere in the U.S.A. and abroad. We truly appreciate all you have done and are doing to keep our country safe and free!
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