Veterans unveil memorial

Completed park to be dedicated in November

By: Vanessa S. Holt
    BORDENTOWN CITY — The first piece of the Bordentown Veterans Memorial was unveiled Saturday in a groundbreaking and Memorial Day ceremony that was not dampened by the threat of rain.
    Construction of a new memorial and a paved park area will begin this summer and organizers hope to have a dedication ceremony in time for Veteran’s Day this year.
    The groundbreaking ceremony was held outdoors on Saturday morning and a 48-inch-square granite centerpiece was unveiled, displayed the emblems of each branch of military service on a five-pointed star. The stone will face the street when the memorial is completed.
    A wooden honor roll currently stands at the future site of the memorial on Farnsworth Avenue at the intersection with Railroad Avenue. The honor roll displays the names of World War II veterans from Bordentown City. That structure will be moved to a new location in the city after the park is created.
    The new honor roll will include about 1,600 names of veterans of conflicts from the Revolutionary War through the Persian Gulf. The names will be inscribed on granite panels set in a U-shaped alcove at one end of the park.
    A special plaque will honor the memories of those killed in action.
    The memorial park will be paved with 5-by-11-inch granite pavers the Bordentown Veterans Memorial Committee is selling for $150 each. The pavers can be personalized with an inscription in memory of a family member, or with a family name.
    "We’re still looking to sell 400 pavers, and continuing fundraising," said City Commissioner John Wehrman. One of the committee’s main fundraising efforts is an annual ball held in November.
    The Bordentown Veterans Memorial Committee held the first Patriotic Ball in 2000 to honor area veterans while raising money for the memorial park and granite honor roll.
    The total construction cost is estimated at $125,000, funded through donations and a $50,000 legislative grant. Fundraising efforts are ongoing to support the continued maintenance of the site when construction is completed, said Mr. Wehrman.
    Donations can be sent to the Bordentown City BVMF, P.O. Box 655, Bordentown 08505.