Trustees defer vote on Rotary’s proposed plaque on village green, debate precedent and placement

Representatives from Woodstock Rotary presented a request to place a granite pedestal and bronze plaque on the village green to honor donors and asked trustees for placement and a size-variance approval. Rotary leadership described donor intent and accessibility concerns for locating the plaque where seniors and donors could more easily view it.

Norm Fratus, representing the Rotary, said the club would prefer a visible and accessible location rather than placing the monument on the star where access is limited for some donors: “We have this beautiful granite pedestal with this beautiful, bronze, plaque that we'd really love to have put on the green,” he said. Rotary members said DigSafe checks were completed for proposed locations and that they are prepared to install a base and pedestal.

Trustees debated precedent, the monuments/memorials policy (which limits emblems and sets size rules), and whether approving a variance would obligate the board to accept similar requests in future. Several trustees said they were sympathetic to Rotary’s service but concerned about setting precedent and policy compliance. The manager advised the board it had been warned against voting at this meeting and recommended further review.

Trustees agreed to continue the discussion and scheduled the vote for the next regular meeting in June to allow time to reconcile policy language and placement options.