New World War I Memorial Expected to Be Built in Duluth
Memorial Park on Grand Avenue Has an Aging Memorial, but Could Soon Be Home to a Brand New One
DULUTH, Minn. – A new World War I memorial is expected to be built this year in West Duluth.
Memorial Park on Grand Avenue has memorials for World War I veterans now but, according to Parks and Recreation Department officials, they have aged and lost their function.
Veteran’s Day 2018, on November 11th, will mark a hundred years since the armistice was signed that ended World War I.
Duluth city officials tell us they’d like to have the new veteran’s memorial built by then to mar the occasion.
Plaques on the ground at Memorial Park on Grand Avenue commemorate trees planted in memory of local World War I veterans, but many of the twenty-three plaques are damaged or missing.
One of the plaques honors veteran Jerry Liston’s grandfather’s brother.
Liston attended the meeting tonight to ensure a plan was put in place to properly remake the memorial.
“I just hope that it’s something that people can recognize when they go by and know actually what Memorial Park stands for,” said Liston. “It’s more than just a park for people to enjoy, it’s a place to remember those who lost their lives in World War One.”
A public input meeting was held today at the Evergreen Center on Grand Avenue.
At the meeting, Parks Department officials asked the community what they’d like to see from the soon to be designated memorial.
“It’s not simply is it marble, is it concrete, but really how is it conveyed?” asked William Roche, Manager of the Duluth Parks and Recreation Department. “How’s it fit within the park? What is the meaning that it invokes? How do people interact with it? The planning process is really meant to be very holistic in what it achieves.”
$50,000 has been set aside for the construction of the new memorial.
If people who couldn’t attend tonight’s meeting want to offer input, the Parks Department will have a planning page up on their website starting this Wednesday.
