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Resident offers to donate and maintain 'wind phone' memorial at Reedsburg Park
Summary
Kathy Lamporter told commissioners she purchased and restored an old pay phone to serve as a "wind phone" memorial in Reedsburg Park; she said she would donate and maintain the installation and staff said they will follow the county's donation‑request process and return with location and approval details.
At the May 6 work session, resident Kathy Lamporter proposed installing a "wind phone" at Reedsburg Park — a nonfunctional pay‑phone memorial intended as a private place where people may speak to deceased loved ones.
"If you've never heard of it...it's not connected to anything. Right. It's just a wind phone," Lamporter said, describing the origin of the concept in Japan and noting about 397 such installations in the United States, with 15 in Pennsylvania and the closest in Millvale.
Lamporter said she purchased an old pay phone, repaired the enclosure and would donate the unit and perform maintenance herself. She acknowledged the county's donation‑request process and said she would provide photos and location ideas; county staff said they have a form for memorial donations and that the proposal would need commissioner approval and a final placement decision.
Staff noted concerns the board will consider, including location, vulnerability to vandalism and whether the county would assume ownership or maintenance; Lamporter said she would maintain the installation. Commissioners said staff would follow up with the resident after the meeting.
No formal decision was made at the work session.
