Veterans Memorial Park in Glenville continues fundraising efforts

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GLENVILLE – The Capital Region Veterans Memorial Park project continues fundraising efforts to create a space honoring veterans and teaching history.

Fundraising efforts have raised about $100,000, president of the Capital Region Veterans Memorial, Mary Brandt said.

The project’s previous plans were expected to cost about $2.5 million for the field tent, all of the monuments, the battlefield crosses and other pieces of the project, Brandt explained.

“Money’s been tight, so what we thought was going to happen sooner than later, obviously hasn’t happened yet,” Brandt said. So we decided to go to a Quonset Hut, (a semi-cylindrical metal shelter used by the military)

Quonset huts would cost somewhere between $60,000-$80,000 Brandt said. A Veteran’s Café would be located inside the Quonset Hut, she explained, and foam insulation would be installed so the space can be open year-round.

“We think by going to the Quonset Hut theme, that we can probably decrease the funding we will need by half,” Brandt said. “Where we thought we would need like $2.5 million before, we’re hoping it’s going to be more like $1 million to $1.5 million now by changing things around a little bit.”

The space will have memorials, a welcome center, an amphitheater, a Veterans Cafe, a military museum and more. It is designed to be a space where veterans, their families and the public can come, Brandt explained.

The Legacy Park will also have walking paths which were rough-cut earlier in the spring, Brandt said. The space will have monuments about different military conflicts.

“When you go on these walking paths, in addition to the monument and the battlefield cross being at each of the seven major conflicts there will also be a history element,” Brandt said. “People will be able to stop and read what World War I was all about, World War II, so that children coming up understanding these different conflicts.”

A lot of history is lost through time, Brand said. She explained the walking paths will help children and anyone who visits them be able to better understand the different conflicts and what happened.

“We want to help teach them what these conflicts are about, and why soldiers did what they did, and ultimately some of them gave the ultimate sacrifice, they gave their lives for our country,” Brandt said. “So we want to make sure they’re not forgotten.”

Everyone who died in the line of duty who lived in the 11 Capital Region counties will have their names etched in granite at the memorial as well, Brandt said.

The space will also have an amphitheater with circular seating closer to the road, and a smaller-scale Quonset Hut behind the amphitheater.

The committee has applied for two different grants, and should year back by the end of December if the project will be awarded grant funds.

“We’re getting really really excited about it,” Brandt said. “We have some different community members that have come forward and offered to help us with this initiative. It’s been a long six years, but there’s an end in sight.”

Brandt hopes for the space to be “up and running” in one-to-two-years, she explained.

The group is continuing fundraising efforts such as the “Buy a Brick” program. Brandt explained, bricks can be purchased to honor a loved one, 4’x4’ bricks are $100 and 4’x8’ are $200, bricks can be purchased at https://capitalregionveteransmemorial.org/  . In the past year the group has been part of fundraisers at the Saratoga Auto Museum, Proctors Theater, the Aerospace Museum and a number of other locations, Brandt said. A number of community groups and organizations and individuals have also made donations and become sponsors of the project she said.

The initiative is not only for veterans, but also for their families and for the public at large, Brandt said.

Statistics say 22 veterans take their lives a day, Brandt said. She explained the space is on the bus line which will make it easier for veterans to get there if they do not have transportation.

“We’re hoping that by giving them a place that’s safe that hopefully they’ll come in with their family, friends, fellow veterans, and open up and sharing their experiences, their stories,” Brand said. “So they’ll know they’re not alone and they know they’ll never be forgotten.”

The goal is to be able to provide resources and information for veterans, Brandt said.

The property at the corner of Dutch Meadows Lane and Route 50 in Glenville will create more park space for the town. Last April the Town of Glenville purchased the property and house on Ballston Road for $150,000. The property was added to the property at the corner of Dutch Meadows Lane and Route 50 in Glenville creating a total of 6.5 acres of park land.

The space is a town property, and the veterans group has a license to use it for the Legacy Park, Supervisor Chris Koetzle said.

“We’re thrilled because it’s adding more park space to the town, for our town residents,” Koetzle said. It’s supporting our veterans. We’re working very hard right now on getting the layout for the park with the amphitheater and the walking trails. We believe in early spring we will have those amenities in for the residents.”

The park is a great way for the Town of Glenville to honor its veterans and give residents a great resource, Koetzle said.

The town has applied for a grant for the amphitheater, and is waiting to hear back from the State of New York about it, Koetzle said.

The Town of Glenville has $50,000 in the new budget for more capital improvements for this park specifically, Koetzle said.

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