Meeting with engineers proves fruitful for memorial

By Julia Wolf

After an in-person meeting with the engineers, the Holcombe Area Veterans Memorial building project is once again making progress, as reported during a Nov. 17, Memorial Planning Committee meeting.

“We probably should have done this, like, two years ago,” said Dave Conrad, committee member.

Conrad says they explained to the engineers that the memorial planners are under a lot of pressure to make progress, including from those who donated money, and shared that they do not want to lose community support for the project.

Mary Ann Van Treese, committee member, also asked for a timeline of when things could be expected to be completed, during the meeting, to keep accountability.

Committee chairperson Jim Mataczynski told the engineers that the group needs a commitment that they will build in the spring, and got that from both engineers.

“And lo and behold, a couple days later, our email starts filling up,” said Conrad.

Since the meeting, the group has received designs, and stormwater and flood plain documentation.

Conrad also says the design was tweaked, so they should be out of the wetland area completely.

“We’re closer to the town road and further to the east,” said Conrad.

North and south stormwater facilities were also added to the design.

Mataczynski also received an automatic email from the DNR, notifying them that their item had successfully been submitted for processing.

Conrad also shared the good news that the flagpole sponsored by Town of Estella residents reached its funding goal.

Mataczynski also reported that they would like to order another batch of legacy stones in the spring.

“We want to get as many as we can,” said Mataczynski, adding they would like to have them on-hand when it is time to put a walkway in at the memorial site.

Plans to move a cable owned by CenturyTel, located at the front of the site, also saw progress. Mataczynski met with a Century-Tel representative at the site to look at the cable.

“I’m saying, it’s about the ugliest spot in town,” said Mataczynski. “Can’t you do something about it?”

Mataczynski says he was told they could, but it would cost money.

“That’s what he kept telling me,” said Brian Guthman, Town of Lake Holcombe chairman.

The CenturyTel representative suggested they move the cables to an underground box and put a fiberglass cover over the top.

When inquiring about the cost, Mataczynski was told they would only have to pay for materials, which would probably come to about $1,000. After thinking on it a while, and talking about his own family members who served or are serving, the CenturyTel representative said he would try to get the cable work done at no cost to the veterans memorial.