Holcombe Area Veterans Memorial site brought to grade

Holcombe Veterans Memorial Planning Committee vice chair Dave Conrad (center) showed information about the Spooner Veterans Memorial, during a meeting June 14. Committee members were encouraged to visit other veterans memorials, and take notes and pictures of elements they like. Photo by Julia Wolf

By Julia Wolf

The long-awaited construction work began at the Holcombe Area Veterans Memorial site, as Memorial Planning Committee members heard, during a regular meeting June 14.

Jim Mataczynski, committee chairperson, reported work at the site started the previous week.

“It’s pretty much to grade right now, as far as our circle,” said Mataczynski, which is the main portion of the memorial.

He says he has a meeting set up with the electrician, and reached out concerning the plumbing and concrete.

“And, we’ll go from there,” said Mataczynski. The stake in the center of the site marks the center of the star, with each arm of the star 25 feet long.

“That’s a pretty good-sized deal,” said Mataczynski. Veteran Ronnie Arts asked if the dozer doubles as a compactor. Mataczynski says it doesn’t really, but they do have a roller compactor available to them.

Mataczynski encouraged everyone to stop and look at the site, as the plans begin to take shape.

Arts also asked when the committee will get pricing on things like benches. Mataczynski says there are a lot of options for items like that.

“That circle that they’re putting in there, there’s going to be block all the way around there,” said committee vice chairperson Dave Conrad. “There will be plenty of places to sit down on that.”

Conrad says he did get preliminary prices for benches earlier in the planning process, for budgeting purposes.

“Do we have room, in the circle, then, for things like benches?” asked Arts.

Mataczynski says items like that will go outside the circle, with walkways between the different sections of the memorial.

Conrad encouraged everyone to go to other veterans memorials, and take notes and pictures of what they like, to bring back for ideas.

“Don’t give up your ideas,” said Mataczynski, adding the main part of the memorial also started as a dream and is starting to come to fruition now.

Mataczynski says the memorial is an ongoing project and is something he anticipates will continue to grow over time, much like The Highground Memorial in Neillsville.

Mataczynski also says the committee should know by Friday, June 23, if they are accepted into the Community Foundation of Chippewa County. He says the only question the foundation asked them so far, is if the Planning Committee will continue to handle the finances around the fundraising events, as the foundation would rather focus on larger donors.

“That was great, because we wanted to keep that in our coffers anyway,” said Mataczynski.

He also reminded everyone they can ask the foundation to pay out a portion of the money each quarter, so the memorial group will have to keep diligent records of monthly expenses, and try to anticipate larger projects three months in advance.