Wellington trustees finalize donation tiers for Veterans Garden, add option to honor American Legion

Trustees discussed next steps for a Wellington Veterans Garden on June 10, approving a framework of donation tiers and asking staff to finalize branding and marketing to support summer outreach.

Staff described six fundraising tiers that frame the campaign: Guardian ($50,000) intended to underwrite the centerpiece American flag and pole; Legacy ($10,000) for the six military branch flags; Freedom ($5,000) for commemorative screens in the garden; Reflection (benches, quantity discussed); Living Tribute (trees, $1,000 per tree, up to ~20); and Seeds of Service ($500) for broad community support. Staff estimated total donations between $180,000 and $200,000 to cover project expenses.

"As the director, it's near and dear to my heart," a parks director said, urging collaborative partner involvement and noting staff would work with the town's marketing team to finalize a logo and donor materials. Trustees and representatives of the American Legion explored recognition options: one proposal would reserve a specific Legion tier (suggested at levels such as $7,500) or place the post's logo on the project sign while keeping other donor tiers public. An American Legion representative said the post preferred its name appear prominently rather than seeing a large corporate brand as the primary recognition.

Trustees examined practical details that will shape costs and donor benefits: a 30'35-foot center flagpole with an estimated pole cost roughly $3,000'$4,000, stamped concrete surrounds for donor plaques, bench choices (the group discussed repurposing ADA-accessible metal benches from a prior downtown project), and options for bronze or granite plaques. The board discussed avoiding maintenance-heavy features such as commemorative bricks.

Staff showed draft logos and color palettes prepared by a designer, and trustees directed staff to finalize the logo and prepare tier pamphlets, renderings and marketing assets for posting on the town website and distribution at summer events. Trustees asked staff to prioritize materials for outreach at the July Fourth activities where feasible, and to plan a larger fundraising kickoff and ribbon-cutting around Veterans Day.

The meeting produced several next steps rather than a formal ordinance: finalize dollar amounts for tiers, complete logo and pamphlet artwork (staff assigned to Megan Larson for graphics work), order donor stickers for outreach, and coordinate posting tiers and donation mechanisms on the town website. The board also discussed, but did not publicly post, a Legion-specific recognition tier to preserve the post's preferred placement on the sign.

The trustees also noted that some operational costs for events (for example, security for the Liberty 250 event) would be handled through the parks or other town budgets as needed.

Trustees closed the Veterans Garden discussion by asking staff to return with final renderings and firm cost estimates for the pole, plaques and bench options before broad public solicitations began.