LYNNFIELD — The Select Board on Monday night heard a presentation on the long-gestating war memorial coming to the Town Common from Joe Connell, who chairs the town’s war memorial committee. Connell said the chief effort being undertaken by the committee at present is to gather the names of all those from Lynnfield who served in the military.
“Recently we’ve made the commitment that as we continue on with the war memorial, we are now trying to make sure we don’t miss a single name,” Connell, the vice-chair of the Select Board, said.
Connell told the board that the committee is planning to list the names it has complied thus far in the town’s two weekly newspapers, including Lynnfield Weekly News, which is published by Essex Media Group, publishers of The Daily Item. Names will run for five consecutive weeks, and those who believe a family member is not listed are encouraged to attend the next meeting of the War Memorial Committee and come forward with valid proof that their family member served.
“Obviously we do not want to make a mistake and that’s the pursuit we want to do with our commitment to those who served from Lynnfield,” Connell said.
The War Memorial Committee will review the case of each name submitted to appear on the memorial, and Connell said they are no longer including only those who lived in Lynnfield when they enlisted.
Connell said the committee feels confident it has accurate names up until the Vietnam War.
The memorial will be visible while driving along Summer Street, and will be illuminated during the night, Connell said.
One of the key preparatory initiatives undertaken in the construction of the memorial was raising the ground where the memorial will be located to prevent damage from flooding in the area, which often builds up during the fall, winter, and spring, Connell said.
Connell said the memorial, in addition to containing the names of veterans, would also contain information about the specific wars, including when it began, and a map of where it was fought. He said the decision to do so was sparked by the fact that many memorials are just lists of names, failing to educate younger onlookers.
The memorial will be comprised of granite plates, with each plate containing 46 names split between two columns. Connell said the committee is expecting the memorial to be comprised of 39 total panels. That portion of the project will cost $68,000.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Bruce Siegel, the town’s veteran’s agent, praised Connell for spearheading the memorial effort.
“I would like to acknowledge how much work Selectman Connell has put into this project,” he said. “It’s incredible how much work he’s put in.”
The board on Monday also voted to postpone this fall’s Town Meeting to Nov. 14, and opened the warrant for Town Meeting articles to be submitted.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
