BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH –– Jerry Morgan Park will be the site of a new memorial to eight local soldiers killed during the Vietnam War, including the veteran for whom the park is named.
The memorial was designed by Eric Mattes, a certified landscape architect with Schoor DePalma, a Manalapan engineering firm that has been chosen by the city to oversee the construction of the project.
Schoor DePalma, which also designed Jerry Morgan Park, was awarded the contract for $11,650 for design work last month.
The project will be built by Precise Construction in Freehold, which was awarded the contract for $207,787.
The project is anticipated to begin by April, according to Jacob Jones, director of community and economic development, who said Precise will have up to 180 days to complete it.
In the center of the park, an approximately 10-foot-wide by 20-foot-long elliptical concrete wall will stand, bearing eight bronze plaques with the names, dates of birth and death of each soldier. The design also calls for a short biographical sketch on each, according to Jones.
“Each plaque will be illuminated with light,” Mattes added.
The most outstanding feature, according to Jones, will be an ornamental gate that will be mounted at the entrance to the park off Long Branch Avenue.
The gate will have the military insignia of all four branches of the U.S. Armed Forces displayed on it –– Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
“We want the ornate piece to be a landmark for those who sacrificed their lives,” Jones said.
The veterans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War and who will be honored are: Jose G. Abara, Jon A. Baker, Edward J. Bova, Malcolm J. Grim, John R. Grisard, Del R. Jacobs, Jerry Morgan Jr. and Frank Andrisano Jr.