American Legion manager proposes burn pit at Hill Of Heroes; request tabled for review

Eric Shepherd, manager of the local American Legion, asked the parks meeting to allow a burn pit at the Hill Of Heroes to be used for formal flag-retirement ceremonies and supplied renderings for officials to review.

The request matters because the proposed burn pit would create a permanent location for ceremonial flag retirements at a memorial site. Shepherd told the meeting the Legion aims to "retire the flags" in "a very nice proper ceremony" and provided visual materials that he said show how the installation would look.

The chair said staff member Kip asked to review the proposal’s siting and positioning before any final decision. "He wanted us to table it so he can review everything with you," the chair said, and because the body did not have a quorum the chair said they would table the item to next month’s meeting. The chair added that Kip would contact Shepherd with any follow-up questions; Shepherd confirmed contact information had been shared.

No formal vote or permit decision was taken at the meeting. The chair also said the minutes could not be approved and the financial report would be forwarded to the council for payment because of the lack of quorum. The meeting adjourned with the chair stating that all items are tabled until the July meeting.

The proposal therefore remains under review: staff is expected to examine placement details and return a recommendation at a future meeting. No dates, permit conditions, or detailed siting requirements were provided at the session.