A Sense of Community
Lighting plays a key role in extending the usable hours of the memorial and increasing the impact of this impressive public project while adding another measure of homespun security.
City of Blue Ash, Indiana
To the north and east of downtown Cincinnati lies the City of Blue Ash. It has a population of 12,000 which surges to 70,000 at the start of every work day. The city is blessed with responsible corporate citizens, and a creative city government. Together with its residents, these two groups put together a public project that is an excellent example of American pride, team work, and spirit in action.
Blue Ash is considered a well-balanced city. It is made up of thirty-five percent residential property, thirty-five percent industrial/commercial sites, and thirty percent parks and public spaces. This balance has contributed to a long history; the city celebrated its Bicentennial in 1991. To commemorate the occasion the city chose to build a Veterans Memorial, which honors the male and female participants of each major US war, on an equal basis, regardless of the size or length of the conflict.
The memorial design revolves around a central flagpole with a nine-sided black granite base. Each surface of the nonagon is etched with battle scenes or historic information. In a circle surrounding the central flag are nine statues. They are equidistant from the center to symbolize the equal sacrifice of all veterans. Outboard of each soldier is a twenty-foot flagpole flying the US flag in service during that war. Two figures were added prior to construction, to honor veterans of the Persian Gulf.
Greenlee lighting fixtures are installed in brick pavers around which a stainless steel trim ring hides the rough edges. The fixtures can be safely walked on and are an aesthetically pleasing aspect of the design. The pavers are inscribed with the names, service dates, and armed forces branch of area veterans. Selling the bricks, was part of the fund raising process and helped to foster community spirit and pride.
The central, black granite, flag base has a fixture at each corner. Quartz crystals in the engraved areas reflect a shimmering light and lend nighttime beauty to each historic scene. Inscriptions are easily read by visitors to the memorial.
The statues were sculpted by Ken Bradford, whose work is visible throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. Mr. Bradford?EUR??,,????'???s projects also include the Daniel Beard sculpture in Covington, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Eden Park, the police memorial in Cincinnati, and the Blue Ash Towne Square family and tree sculpture.
To the citizens of Blue Ash, this memorial to American veterans and soldiers, to whom we owe so much of our freedom, seemed the most appropriate permanent gift they could give to the nation and the community during the Blue Ash Bicentennial celebration. The memorial is intended to dramatically portray the patriotism and determination of the American spirit, and provide inspiration to all who see it. In their desire to create such a memorial, the people of Blue Ash worked together as a community to achieve their goals and provide a lasting record of history.
Village of Teutopolis, Illinois
The Village of Teutopolis, Illinois had voted to form a park district in 1988 with the goal of providing a public park for all ages to gather and enjoy various forms of outdoor recreation. In the spring of 1989, the village celebrated its Sesquicentennial with the hope of raising enough funds to begin the planning process for a community park. From the initial $33,000 raised through this event, the village retained Harland Bartholomew & Associates, Inc. of St. Louis, MO to prepare a site selection and programming study for the development of this park.
The landscape architects worked closely with the park board and interested representatives in the community to begin the site selection process. A total of four sites were analyzed with the final selection being primarily agricultural land located in close proximity to a residential area, school facilities, and buffered by mature woodlands. With cooperation from the school board the village was able to purchase the recommended site of 18.3 acres. In the summer of 1991, work began on the preparation of a master plan for the community park.
Community leaders published the plan in the local paper and solicited financial support from influential business leaders and members of the community. Within two months the extraordinary amount of $225,000 was raised in the form of private donations from individuals, various community organizations and businesses. Through the effective action of the newly formed park board, a grant application was prepared to solicit funds from OSLAD through the Department of Conservation, State of Illinois. The application process was successful and an additional $160,000 in matching funds was awarded shortly thereafter. In the midst of a recession, a community of 1200 people had raised over $418,000 in less than three years, in order to make the dream for a community park a reality.
The project includes the planting of 150 trees, seeding of the grounds and construction of the main pavilion, playground, little league fields, wooded nature trails, and parking lot. Construction of Phase I was completed in the fall of 1992 and the park has been inundated with visitors ever since. Such plans are often shelved because of insurmountable funding constraints, but because of the civic pride present in this community the plans became reality in a short period of time.
