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Veterans Memorial Park renovation prompts veterans'concerns over grills, picnic tables; mayor says memorials will not be moved
Summary
Veterans and residents urged the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly to preserve the Veterans Memorial Park as a solemn space on April 10, objecting to proposed picnic tables and barbecue grills.
Veterans and residents told the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly on April 10 they oppose plans for picnic tables and barbecue grills at Veterans Memorial Park and asked that the memorial area remain a quiet, sacred place of remembrance.
Walter W. Watts Jr., a retired Army sergeant major, and Miguel Ramirez both spoke during citizen comment about the park. Watts urged the borough to preserve the memorial's character and asked whether construction would begin before Memorial Day. "If they're starting construction on that park in May and removing the memorial, that's a dumb time to do that," Watts said, adding that veterans rely on the site for Memorial Day ceremonies.
Ramirez told the assembly he had received calls from veterans about proposed additions and worried picnic areas and barbecue pits would change the park's tone and invite inappropriate uses. "We just want that to be a sacred place of honor and memory," he said.
Mayor Hopkins responded during his mayor's report that the memorials would not be removed or impacted, and that work would occur around and behind existing monuments. "We are not moving or touching or removing in any way, shape, or form the current memorials at Veterans Memorial Park," Hopkins said. He said the project's bid came in under budget, which created the option of adding several "alternative additives," and that borough staff planned meetings with veteran groups next week to discuss the specific add-ons such as grills.
Hopkins also said the bid came in slightly under budget and that staff and the contractor proposed some additional amenities. The mayor said the borough will meet with veterans and concerned citizens to decide whether to keep proposed grills or remove them.
What happens next: The assembly will receive a future bid award for the project. Meanwhile, borough staff said they will meet with veteran stakeholders to discuss alternatives and to confirm the project scope so the memorial elements remain protected.
Speakers and roles cited in this article are drawn from public testimony and the mayor's report at the April 10 assembly meeting.
