County renovating Diamond Park, creating Veteran’s Memorial Wall
The Butler County commissioners’ plans to renovate Diamond Park in Butler include removing the 1,600 memorial pavers etched with the names of veterans and placing those names on a new Veteran’s Memorial Wall outside the county government center.
On Wednesday, the commissioners voted to advertise for bids to rehabilitate the park and create the memorial wall. Plans call for the wall to be completed before the park project begins. Work is expected to begin in the spring and be completed by the end of 2027.
The park project includes removing the water fountain and replacing it with a sustainable water feature; relocating the pavers and installation of a pavilion, new benches, new tables, a loading area for events, an upgraded sound system, new concrete sidewalks and landscaping.
Parks and Recreation director Lance Welliver said the county has a $250,000 grant for the project from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that the county has to match for the project.
The county has set aside money for the project from its Act 13 Marcellus Shale impact fee legacy funds, Leslie Osche, commissioners chairman, said. She said the county has applied for other grants for the project, but those applications were not approved.
The Diamond Park project combined with the city’s sidewalk replacement project will result in a major enhancement to downtown Butler, Osche said.
“Since Diamond Park is going to be remodeled, our veterans bricks will have to be removed and replaced,” said Veteran’s Services director Shawnee Young.
The pavers were sold to raise money for the World War II Memorial in the park about 20 years ago. Osche said the pavers are in “fragile” condition and some have been replaced due to damage from weather and ice.
“So instead of them being in the ground, they will be moved. Those memorial names will be moved to a very large wall, plaque installation on the outside of the government center,” Osche said. “That will be much better protected for perpetuity.”
The county has a record of the names of all the veterans whose names appear on the pavers, she said.
