SNOHOMISH — Snohomish’s veterans memorial should be installed beside the Carnegie Building by the end of May, and a celebration will be held on Memorial Day.
A memorial obelisk currently stands at the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Cemetery. It had been moved a few years ago when the Carnegie underwent extensive construction.
The plan returns the memorial obelisk to the Carnegie at First and Cedar with trees in its backdrop, and adds a flagpole and lighting. A curved sidewalk would lead up to it.
A dedication memorial, a memorial honoring the past, and a third “future” memorial could be sited near the obelisk, city planner Tom Kreinbring described previously. The “future” memorial would highlight the Purple Heart Medal for wounded veterans, noting Snohomish is an honorary Purple Heart City.
The obelisk stands nearly six feet tall. Its marblework is etched with the names of 13 Snohomish men who died in World War I, 51 World War II combat casualties, eight lost in the Korean War, six from the Vietnam War and the latest, Cpl. Jeffrey Starr, Snohomish’s lone Iraq War death on May 30, 2005.
The obelisk would be placed on a new foot-tall base featuring the arms of six Armed Forces branches.
The lightpole would have three flags on it: The American flag, the POW-MIA flag and the state flag.
Last week, the City Council authorized almost doubling the city money dedicated to the project to $86,000. The added money is in case pledged donations for the project do not come through.
The project’s initial $40,000 budget was from money collected through Real Estate Excise Tax (REET). Every city earns some REET anytime properties change hands.
A committee of 23 volunteers guided plans for the Snohomish veterans memorial’s return.
In 1960, a citizens’ committee had the memorial created. It was dedicated on May 31, 1961 on the Carnegie’s lawn.
