Orleans committee wants to name, upgrade veterans park

Mar. 14--ORLEANS -- The triangular park that sits between Route 28, Academy Place and Main Street may soon have a new name.

The Veterans and Memorial Day Committee wants to rename the park Veterans Memorial Park at Academy Place, according to Chairman Kevin Higgins.

Committee members have noticed increased attendance of Memorial Day and Veterans Day events held at the park over the years. But when William Moore, a Navy veteran who served during the Korean War, had to sit on the edge of Main Street in his wheelchair during a ceremony in which his name was etched into the park's Korean War and Vietnam War monument, Higgins knew the park needed attention.

Committee members started talking about how to make the park more accessible. As they looked at the accessibility issue, they noticed other things about the park that they thought should be improved.

The monuments face in different directions. Some face Main Street, and others face Route 28.

The World War 1 monument has a crack in it, the result of a car that plowed into it years ago. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Bell stands in the shadow of blue spruce and is hard to see.

The Vietnam War/Korean War monument needs some restoration. Made of concrete and fireplace brick, it is flaking and cracking in places.

The park is fairly inaccessible, and an idea was floated about installing a serpentine walkway that would take people around the inside of the park.

Establishing a central location for the memorials also makes sense, Higgins said. For the park to acknowledge all the town's veterans, committee members would like to move the Civil War Memorial from its River Road location.

Higgins added that naming the park would help the committee in organizing its annual Memorial and Veterans Day events. He said some people have been confused about the location because the triangular park has no name.

"Some people have shown up at Academy Playhouse for ceremonies," he said.

Higgins would also like to see historical markers placed in the park. British Marines from the HMS Newcastle were turned back at this location in 1814 by Orleans militia. The park also isn't far from the French Cable Station, where the message came in about Germany invading Paris.

"A courier rode his bike to Eldredge Field and they announced it over the PA system," Higgins said. "It's a small triangle with a big history."

The town's Community Preservation Committee approved $10,000 for a study to determine how to turn Veterans Park into an accessible, all-encompassing veterans memorial.

Ron Collins, facilities manager for the town, said significant work needs to be done for the plan to come to fruition.

"With sidewalks, regrading, and repositioning monuments, it will be a fairly significant renovation," Collins said.

The CPC funds would go to evaluate the site condition and develop specific plans to restore and improve access and safety, Collins said.

Higgins hopes a Friends of the Veterans Memorial Park group can be established to help with fundraising. One idea is to sell laser-etched bricks for the walkway.

"I have six family members who served," he said. "I'd buy six in a heartbeat."

Follow Denise Coffey on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

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