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Resident proposes privately funded horseshoe monument to honor town volunteers
Summary
Local resident George Morris presented a privately funded plan for a 13–16-foot horseshoe monument with removable granite plaques and a QR-linked town-managed website to honor volunteers and founders; council asked about plaque logistics, site selection and ongoing maintenance costs and suggested Arts Board and Astronite Foundation partnership.
George Morris presented a concept for a permanent, privately funded horseshoe monument that would honor people who have served or volunteered for the Town of Southwest Ranches.
Morris told the council the monument would be ‘‘about 13 feet tall from the base’’ (overall height roughly 16 feet), made of a concrete structure wrapped in granite and designed to hold roughly 460 plaque-sized tiles. He said the plaques would be removable and that the project would include a pedestal with a brass plaque and a QR code linking to a town-managed website with biographical photos or short videos.
‘‘It’s not going to be funded by the city. It’s not going to cost taxpayers any anything,’’ Morris said, adding he has a $100,000 private fundraising goal and ‘‘promises of up to 15,000 thus far.’’ He asked the council to consider donating park land for the installation and said a separate committee would choose the names to appear on the monument.
Council members asked detailed questions about plaque materials and placement, whether names would be etched into granite or added as brass plaques, and who would draft biographical write-ups for the QR-linked pages. Council members suggested possible partners to manage content and upkeep, including the Astronite Foundation and the Arts Board; staff noted there will be modest costs to host and maintain a website and to perform administrative work to add or edit content.
Russell (town staff) and other council members said they supported the idea in principle but wanted the design and operational details returned to the Arts Board and a future council agenda. No formal action or vote was taken; Morris said the project would return to the Arts Board for review and location selection.
Next steps: Morris and supporters will present design materials to the Arts Board; the council requested clearer cost estimates for ongoing maintenance and a formal site request if the group seeks town land.
