There’s going to be a meeting in January to get public input on a proposed move of the Palmerston cenotaph to a new location.
The proposal is to move the monument from its current site in front of the Palmerston library to a more open area in the Palmerston Lions Heritage Park.
On Dec. 2, Mayor David Anderson noted he and councillor Wayne Martin had met with representatives on the issue of the Palmerston cenotaph and its possible relocation.
“We brought the rest of the committee up to speed. We hadn’t really brought forward the costing,” Anderson said.
He said there is an opportunity to get partial half-funding for the project and moving it through Veterans Affairs.
Anderson said that “ironically, the night before was a budget meeting where it was made clear there was not a lot of extra money kicking around.”
He said one idea brought to them, by the gentleman from Wingham Monuments, was a fundraiser: Selling monument stones, people could purchase for a set amount of money.
Those funds would cover the cost of the stone and the cost of moving the cenotaph.
Anderson said members of the Legion branch were asked if they would be willing to take on that fundraiser on behalf of the town and they were in full agreement.
“We also brought to their attention that there are a few people who don’t want the cenotaph moved. As council, it would be good to find out what the atmosphere was. I thought it would be prudent to have a public meeting, in the second or third week in January.
The meeting would be open to a point of letting people know the municipality’s intentions, and that if there were concerns, council could explain the process of moving it and why it is being moved.
In addition, there could be some finished illustrations of what it would look like when completed.
He said during the last Remembrance Day in Palmerston, there were people packed in all around.
“It’s a perfect example of why it should be moved to give
Plus it would show due diligence of council to give them a chance to ask questions.
He hoped there might be some stones there as well for display purposes.
He asked council if that was the direction it wants to head.
Councillor David Turton agreed this seemed to be the right direction, involving the Legion. He also believed the involvement of the community is a great idea.
Martin said the meeting could also act as a kickoff for a fundraiser. He noted there are some veterans who are not Legion members, so he believes the community approach is the best way to have the meeting.
It allows those families to be part of the process.
Council later passed a motion to hold the public meeting in January.
