A local motorcycle club is looking to raise funds to place a Gold Star Memorial at Anderson Park.
The Old Cronies received permission from the Aberdeen Park and Recreation Board during the board’s Wednesday, May 3 meeting at the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center.
Old Cronies member Alan Wimer said the group is working with the Woody Williams Foundation to purchase the Gold Star Memorial, which would honor veterans who died in active duty. Wimer said the foundation started out with a goal of having a Gold Star Memorial in every state, and that has been achieved. Now, it wants the memorials in more communities.
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The Aberdeen memorial, which would be placed west of the existing veteran’s memorial in the park along Sixth Avenue Southeast, would cover northeastern South Dakota and would be the third in the state.
“The memorial itself is a fixed foundation,” Wimer said, noting that each one is identical down to the type of granite used.
He said the Old Cronies will also handle fundraising for the purchase of the memorial, which starts at $100,000.
Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Mark Hoven said the city will provide the land for the memorial as well as power and will work with the group on landscaping. The city will also carry the insurance for the memorial, he said.
Wimer said the memorial will feature an American flag and a Gold Star flag.
In other action, the board:
- Rejected the one bid received for drainage work at Lee Park Golf Course. Hoven said it came in way above the engineer’s estimate of $100,000.
- Heard an update on local projects, including the completion of drainage work at Lee Park that started in 2022 and construction of bathrooms at the Holgate Middle School tennis courts. The bathroom project is being done in cooperation with the Aberdeen Public School District. Hoven said he’s hopeful the bathrooms can be substantially completed by June 1.