Vets to raise funds for North Hudson memorial

A new veterans memorial in North Hudson won’t cost taxpayers a dime. That was the word from John Helgeson, a member of the village Park Board who addressed the Board of Trustees’ regular meeting last Tuesday on the subject.

“The decision was reached that no tax dollars would be used for the memorial,” said Helgeson. “The Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts serving the area have been briefed on this project and are willing to donate funds and help raise money for the project.”

Helgeson, who is an active member of both the local VFW and American Legion organizations, asked the village to deposit the funds raised in an account specifically for the memorial and monitor the expenditures.

President Larry Larsen said a designated fun in the village general fund could easily be arranged, and the board quickly approved the request.

Helgeson said the memorial would include the three flags (Wisconsin, United States and POW-MIA) that currently fly in front of the Village Hall, and seals of the five branches of the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) attached to the wall behind the flags. An early estimate for the bronze emblems was $354 each.

“The flags are an ongoing expense. They must be replaced as they become worn,” he said. “I estimate that will require $2,000.”

The funds for the memorial will include the area already developed. The bill for that is about $6,000 said Trustee George Klein.

“I believe a goal of $10,000 in donations should pay off the costs to construct and maintain the current monument, purchase and add service seals and build a memorial display,” Helgeson said.

He said the veterans groups propose to raise funds by selling memorial tags for donations. The tags would be placed in a display in a visible location in the Village Hall.

In other action at the March 4 meeting, the board: