Legion makes appeal for help with Flag Field upgrades
Project will replace gravel path and surface with concrete to improve accessibility, ways to honor veterans
As the work continues on the Veterans Flag Field Legacy Wall and the KIA Memorial area in the Medford City Park, project coordinator Roger Emmerich Landua Jensen American Legion Post No. 147, is making a final appeal for donations to assist with accessibility upgrades.
“Members of the Legion Post No. 147 want to thank all the organizations, businesses, individuals and families that have supported us over the past 14 years, as we have developed the Flag Field Veterans Park on the east Riverwalk,” Emmerich said.
As the group has been constructing the new KIA Memorial Wall, they have found that they need to improve the handicap access to the wall area from the parking lot. The veterans park area is located down the hill from the parking lot and was giving visitors with wheelchairs problems getting to the wall area.
The City of Medford Parks Department, agreed to create a new section of the riverwalk to have a more gradual access to the wall area, meeting the ADA standards. The Legion has now agreed to remove the crushed granite access from the river walk to the wall viewing area and create a concrete walkway to the area.
“With this change, it should make it very easy for our handicapped veterans and family members and others to visit the memorials,” Emmerich said.
Emmerich noted that they have also had some more vandalism at the area while constructing the sidewalk. This is the fourth time they have had damage to the veterans park area in recent years. This has forced them to provide additional lighting and security cameras for the park area.
“We want to thank the Mark Metz family and friends for their generous memorial donation to help with this project but additional funds are needed,” Emmerich said. These projects require the group to do another fund drive to cover these costs.
Individuals, families or business wishing to help them with a donation, may send it to: Security & Handicapped Access Project Roger Emmerich, 1054 West Broadway, Medford, WI 54451.
The legion will be holding an official dedication of the new KIA Memorial Wall and handicapped access improvement, next year 2021, during the Memorial Day Program event.
A part of the sidewalk project has included creation of an area in front of the Legacy Wall for the placement of paver stones, that will be available for adding veterans’ names in the future, when the last wall is filled. This will take care of the request for Legacy Stones for the foreseeable future, eliminating the need to construct additional walls that are very expensive to build.
If you would like to purchase a stone for yourself or a family veteran, contact Susan Gregori at 715-748-3746, or Roger Emmerich at 715-748-4926 and they will send you an application.
“We only have room for 132 more veterans on our last wall. After these stones are sold we will only have pavers available,” Emmerich said. The price for a stone is still $300. The price for the pavers, will be set at a later date.
