The Batavia Township Board of Trustees recently met informally in a workshop session with members of a committee that is seeking to place a Gulf War era military memorial in the new township park.
The meeting was scheduled to work out some kinks in the plan, including just who was going to take care of the memorial, and just how much it was going to cost.
Neither element was clearly satisfied during the meeting.
“We always felt this would happen in phases,” said Ken Johnson of the memorial committee. “It depends on how the fund drive takes place. We heard the trustee board loud and clear; the main issue that is the deal killer is how this is maintained, who will be taking care of it for the long term. This is a deal killer for us also. We’ll not be together in perpetuity, but Batavia Township will.”
In a recent township meeting, the committee presented the township with a concept plan of the memorial, which was created after meeting and talking with local veterans. A centerpiece for the memorial is a donated humvee. However, the concept plan showed a greatly expanded memorial, incorporating a fountain, an eternal flame and amphitheater. The trustees, at the time, expressed reluctance to take over responsibility for caring for the memorial after it was completed. That proved a major point of discussion in the meeting, with neither side willing to accept responsibility for operating the memorial.