LYNNFIELD — Just in time for the town’s annual Memorial Day observance, the Veterans Memorial is sporting a new look, thanks to the installation of some 109 specially-inscribed pavers along the two walkways leading to the oval.
War Memorial Committee Chair Joe Connell is hopeful that having the pavers installed in time for Memorial Day will “trigger” more interest in the program, and will lead to an uptick in sales.
“The intention always was to have this work done by Memorial Day,” Connell said. “Essentially this is the final major piece of work on the memorial so now we are making sure that we have funding to cover ongoing maintenance and repairs and any capital improvements we may consider down the road.
“I truly believe that when people come and see the pavers displayed on the walkway, especially on Memorial Day, this is going to explode with interest, which is what we wanted to happen. Again, this is nothing on the taxpayer as none of this project cost Lynnfield taxpayers anything.”
The installation began Monday and was scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday, according to Connell. He said the pavers, which can be purchased for $250 each, represent the last major piece of the project and will fund future maintenance and improvements. So far, approximately $23,000 has been raised through paver sales.
The memorial can hold up to 500 pavers on the two walkways, one of which measures about 81 feet and the other (nearest to Main Street) is 87 feet. Each paver holds three lines of up to 15 characters on each line to add a special message or name.
Connell said the paver program was designed to allow families of veterans who are not otherwise eligible to be on the wall, and other members of the general public to have an opportunity to have a presence and be a part of the memorial.
“This is what it’s all about; these are the arms of the citizens who helped the Veterans Memorial either on a board or otherwise,” Connell said. “The important part is when you look at the Town of Lynnfield and its growth in the 1950s when we basically went from 3,000 to 8,000 people, we now have first generation or second generation Lynnfielders. While they may have, say, a father who served from Lynn, this is their chance to put the dad’s name on a paver to honor him. They may not be eligible for the Veterans Memorial, but they can nonetheless be a part of it with this paver opportunity.”
Connell said the placement of each paver has been carefully planned, some are arranged in clusters with other family members who have also purchased pavers. The pavers will run the entire length of each walkway, thereby allowing the public to have a better, uncluttered view.
“We purposely put them in an order that wasn’t name after name after name. We wanted to have enough space between the names so people can walk up and enjoy reading them and not be an eyesore,” Connell said. “There is a lot of design work in this as we were going through the planning. I wanted to have the inscribed pavers set apart so there is space in between them and not on top of somebody else’s. It’s really working out well and I’m very pleased with it.”
According to Connell, many of the pavers have been purchased as a memorial to a deceased family member or friend.
“That’s exactly what we were hoping to see, families who wanted to capture the memory of a loved one,” Connell said.
Connell gave a shout out to Stone Garden Solutions, an Everett-based company who has been retained to install the pavers.
“Marlon Pinto, the owner, has done a remarkable job for us on this project and they’ll be with us forever I hope,” Connell said. “Everything has been done very tastefully and we’ve now had great success so far,” Connell said. “I truly believe the pavers are going to make this entire memorial magnificent.”
The town’s Memorial Day observance begins at 8:15 a.m. with a parade past several notable Lynnfield cemeteries and. The Day concludes on the Town Common with a ceremony at 11 a.m. followed by a complimentary lunch.
Pavers can be purchased online at https://www.lynnfieldma.gov/554/Purchase-a-Veterans-Memorial-Paver.
