Veterans' memorial rolls along
ADAMS TWP — Judging by the large donations for the new war memorial being built at the township park, many business owners in southwestern Butler County appreciate and respect the sacrifices of veterans.
Paul Ford, who instituted and is coordinating the effort to build the memorial at the township park, said several companies have donated goods, services or laborers in the initial phase of the construction project.
The granite monument will be 8 feet by 6 feet and will be inscribed with 144 names of area veterans who were killed in action since the Civil War. It will be surrounded by a 140-foot block wall, and 13,000 engravable pavers will serve as the floor of the monument site.
Three 30-foot flagpoles, a granite podium displaying the branches of the armed services, a granite donor monument, and five benches, commemorating each war, will complete the display.
Ford designed the memorial based on the one he saw in Rural Valley, Pa., that inspired him to build one in Adams.
Ford said business owners he contacted for donations or reduced cost supplies were happy to help.
“It's unbelievable how they have come through with everything,” Ford said. “That's what has kept the monument going.”
He said Unilock donated the decorative block for the wall as well as the pavers for the floor at a cost of $11,000. The aluminum flagpoles donated by Ron Hammond of Triad Metals would have cost $5,400, and 138 tons of stone for the foundation arrived in County Line Supply trucks at no cost.
“There's a lot of money here,” said the soft-spoken Ford, who is a Vietnam War veteran.
Other donors include Kaclik Builders who donated the excavating and grading; John W. Thrower who donated the concrete for the foundation; Allgreen which provided the trucks to haul the Unilock stones; and Raybold Nursery which donated the shrubbery. Douds Brothers Landscape Construction provided six laborers; and Paul Danik of North Hills Nursery planted the boxwood shrubs.
Like the other donors, Chris Kaclik, president of Kaclik Builders, was reluctant to discuss his participation in the memorial.
“It's for the good of the community,” Kaclik said.
Mike Douds, president of Douds Brothers Landscape Construction, was one of the six Douds employees who spent an 11-hour day working on the memorial in the fall.Douds said the crew will also donate about four days of work when it is time to lay the pavers in the spring.“I know Paul, and he's a good guy,” Douds said, “and I wanted to pay my respects to the people who fought in all the wars.”Douds' father served in the Navy and his uncle in the Marines during the Vietnam War, and a cousin served in the global war on terrorism. He said he agreed with Ford's assertion that the park should include a tribute to those who have served to protect American ideals.“It's the right thing to do,” Douds said. “There should be something like that around here.”Donald Aiken, president of the township supervisors, said the hefty donations speak to the type of people who operate businesses in and around the township.“It says they're all good people, which they are,” Aiken said. “I think it's wonderful.”Workers in October and November installed the block wall, excavated and graded the site, excavated and poured the concrete for the site's features, planted the shrubbery, and erected the aluminum flagpoles.Ford said residents can honor their favorite veterans from Adams and Middlesex townships plus Mars, Evans City, Valencia and Callery by buying a $100 paver to be inscribed with the veteran's name, branch of service and other information.About 300 pavers have been sold, Ford said.The black, Indian granite monument, Ford said, will be carved and inscribed in January with the 144 deceased veterans' names. In the spring, the pavers will be laid, which will make the way for installation of the monuments, benches and podium.“I think we're far ahead in getting it done,” Ford said. “There's not much else we can do now.”Ford is planning a dedication at 2 p.m. May 18. The monument will remain covered until then.Those wanting to have their personalized pavers installed for the dedication should place their orders by March 15.Regarding the monument's 144 names of veterans killed in action in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the global war on terror, Ford and his wife, Mary, used Internet research and information from American Legion and VFW posts to compile the list.“We're going good, We're moving along,” Ford said.James “Hap” Evans, owner of Allgreen in Middlesex Township, praised Ford for his hard work in establishing the memorial. Ford is a truck driver for Allgreen.Evans said, “He was a veteran himself, and it was obviously a big part of his life and something that he values dearly. I think he wants to give other veterans the recognition that he feels they are due.”Information on the memorial is at www.adamstwp.org, then clicking on “Adams War Memorial” under the parks and recreation tab.
