St. Marys eyes vets memorial

ST. MARYS - City officials are considering locations and funding options for a potential veterans memorial.

Resident Charles Cooper on Monday met with parks and playgrounds committee members and showed them a video tour of a memorial he had visited in Van Wert.

Cooper estimated the structure was 20-feet-by-30-feet and displayed photos with the names of veterans from Van Wert County. He hoped a similar structure could be built in St. Marys.

Committee members discussed potential sites, including K.C. Geiger Park near ball diamonds 3 and 4, where a new concession and restroom facility will be built.

City council president Jim Harris suggested the memorial be placed downtown, which would give it more everyday exposure. He proposed building it somewhere along Spring Street, adding Memorial Park may already have too many structures to accommodate the memorial.

Committee members did not choose a final location.

Safety service director Greg Foxhoven wondered if the project should include all Auglaize County veterans or be exclusive to St. Marys service members. Harris asked if it should include veterans from the Civil and Revolutionary wars or only more recent conflicts.

The police may need to lock the building at the end of the day and reopen it in the morning to help prevent vandalism, Foxhoven noted.

Committee members did not discuss estimated costs for construction and maintenance. However, Foxhoven will meet with officials from the American Legion and other veterans' organizations to discuss possible partnerships to raise the money for construction and maintenance.

Committee members recommended Foxhoven pursue the project.

Also on Monday, the group learned city officials will purchase a mutt mitt unit for dog owners to use to pick up after their dogs. The unit will be installed in Memorial Park in the coming weeks, Foxhoven said.

He hopes dog walkers will use the disposable gloves to help keep the park clean. Trash cans will be available in the park for disposal of the gloves. The unit should help curb the need for dog owners to carry bags of their own, he said.

Park department personnel will monitor the gloves to see how much of an impact they have in Memorial Park. More units may be purchased if deemed a success, Foxhoven said.

He estimated the unit costs a few hundred dollars and will be paid for from the city's general fund. Any possible future unit purchases will be made from the permanent improvements fund, Foxhoven said after the meeting.

He reminded committee members that city council approval was not required for either discussed topic.