Land by Bethel Fire Department eyed as site for veterans' memorial

The Bethel Board of Selectmen has given unanimous concept approval to siting the long-discussed Bethel Veterans’ Monument between the north end of the Bethel common and the Bethel Fire Station, on the plot of grass to the right (looking down from the common) of the Fire Station driveway.

The conceptual plan was presented to the board at its regular meeting Monday evening, by members of the Veterans’ Monument Committee.

The plan included renderings by engineer Jim Sysko.

Committee Chair Richard Grover said the proposal has been a long time coming.

“We’ve talked for several years about having a veterans’ monument in the Bethel area, but somehow it just never got off the ground,” Grover told the selectmen. “But finally, last August, I made a commitment to make an attempt to bring the idea to fruition.”

The group had its first meeting in August, he said, and designated five committees, the first of which was site-selection.

“And, basically, that’s where we are now,” he told the board.

He said the committee’s prime criterion when it came to site selection was to be sure the monument was in the village, “rather than over at Davis Park or someplace out of town.”

Sites that were ruled out included the lot adjacent to the Civil War Monument on Main Street, which they attempted unsuccessfully to get, he said; and the common itself, which they viewed as inappropriately busy with other types of activities.

Their plan does, however, include moving the flagpole on the common from where it is now to the monument, where it would serve as a focal point.

Sysko explained: “The idea here is to have the flagpole the center focus, and make the monument fit the land.

Between the end by the common to the fire station, the lot slopes five or six feet down, but Sysko said he did not see that as a problem.

“Some people suggested: ‘Well can’t we level it up?’ and I think that would be the worst thing we could do. I think we fit the site to the land and to the slope.

“It’s not very steep, so I think pathways through there would have no issues being walked on, no issues with grade.

“The challenge we have, he said, is to recognize people from these different conflicts, so I wanted to come up with a monument that would give equal status to every one of the conflicts – pretty hard.”

The system he came up with, Sysko said, involves three large stones along the perimeter of a hexagonal center of focus.

Names

“The other challenge, of course,” Sysko said, “is all the people who have to be on the monument.

“The point is to recognize their service – so a lot of names.”

Grover estimated 1,200 to 1,300.

The Maine Archive includes names only through Viet Nam, he said, so veterans from later conflicts, “will be the last names to be added, and where we’re probably going to need the most input from the local public.”

Town Manager Jim Doar asked who would be eligible for listing on the monument.

Grover said it would be determined by the home of record on the veteran’s military record, with veterans from Bethel and the three surrounding unorganized territories eligible.

“And we have also decided that to be fair, there’s a lot of veterans who have lived here for 40, 50 or more years, who may not have been here when they entered.

“So, we’re thinking of picking a number like 20 years, and if they’ve lived here for 20 years and their name’s not on a monument somewhere else, we should have them.”

Fundraising

All in all, the project is expected to cost in the range of $50,000 Grover told the board.

“We haven’t started fundraising yet,” he said, “but I am determined to make every effort to do it with donated funds, and not ask for public tax money.”

The construction of such a monument on any town property would require voter approval, as, of course, would moving the current flagpole from the common to the new monument.

The envisioned Bethel Veterans' Memorial, as rendered by Jim Sysko. The memorial would be placed on a small lot of land to the north of the Bethel Fire Department parking lot, between the fire station and the Bethel common.