Power washing patriotism at the courthouse courtyard
By Ann Swinderman
September 7, 2011
307
It is not often that the Tuscarawas County Commissioners receive a phone call with someone requesting to donate money to improve the courthouse plaza. For that matter, the commissioners usually get the calls from residents wanting the county to foot the bill for something. But this was different.
That one phone call put things in motion that lead to the veterans monuments located around the courthouse getting a new look, well actually a power wash.
We thought this would be a nice way to thank the community for their support, said Tuscarawas County Veterans Office Director Debbie Cook. Since we got a great commitment of support and finances from the people of Tuscarawas County, we wanted to say thank you back.
The recent venture by area veterans groups to pool their patriotic resources and collect funds to erect a memorial stone at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman and a memorial bench at the Ohio Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Clinton resulted in a rare featextra funds.
Instead of letting those funds collect mothballs in the Tuscarawas County Veteran Memorial Stone Fund, group members decided to donate some money to the AMVETS Auxiliary for its ongoing pursuit to visit Tuscarawas County veterans in area care facilities, while the remainder was used to clean the build-up of dirt and grime from the courthouse veterans monuments.
For Cook, the support for area veterans during the campaign to raise fund for the memorial stone and bench was heartwarming and proved what she knew for years.
The community represents Tuscarawas County well with their support for our veterans. A project that was told to us to take a couple of years was completed in just eight months, she remarked.
For decades Mother Nature only cleaned the courthouse monuments, but on Friday, September 2, a crew from Dover Memorials gave the stone figures a new look. The dull monuments were transformed into vibrant symbols of patriotism that they were when erected.
As every monument, stone and, even, the 35 ft. tall World War I Doughboy was power washed, the markers representing county veterans who served and made the ultimate sacrifice began to glisten in the sun.
It was a lot of work, and the city even supplied a bucket truck so we could reach the tall monuments, said Jason Gallagher, manager of Dover Memorials. I see them on the way home and its good to see them now after being washed.
After five hours, all the monuments were power washed and looking better than they have in decades.
Even though the memorial stone committee had funds remaining from their project, a five-hour job like Gallaghers crew completed would have cost at least $2,500. The committee only had $750 remaining. But for Gallagher, this was a service project he was proud to be part of, especially this close to Patriots Day on September 11.
We wanted to clean the monuments for the city and do it so the veterans monuments would be looking nice, Gallagher explained.
I can see a difference, said Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl. Sometimes there is dirt and mold built up over the years. This makes them stand out more and rejuvenates them.
Its not often that you get a call and have people to say they have extra funds. But Debbie called and asked if they could do it, he added.
With Patriots Day approaching, Abbuhl is not lost on the importance of the monuments outside the courthouse. It is important that we take time out to reflect on the sacrifices that were made. We need to stop and reflect on these sacrifices that were made for our county and the country.
So the next time you are waiting patiently for the traffic signal to turn green, take a look at the veterans monuments in the courthouse plaza and honor our Tuscarawas County patriots.
