County to help fund gazebo at memorial

By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
The Morgan County Commission has agreed to help fund the construction of a gazebo at the Purple Heart Monument in Hartselle.
"I learned about the need for a shelter at the monument when Jim Shaffran, commander of the sponsoring organization-Chapter 2212 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in Morgan and Cullman Counties- addressed the commission at a work session on June 12," District 2 Commissioner Richard Lyons said. "I saw the need and agreed to help them build one, with a contribution from $3,000 to $3,500, depending on the total cost."
Shaffran said he was told after the meeting by two of the other three commissioners they would be willing to contribute $1,000 each toward the project.
"The gazebo we'd like to have would cost $7,000 to $8,000 if we contracted it out," Shaffran said. "However, after making some changes, I think we can build it for about $5,000 to $6,000 if we do some of the work ourselves."
He said the gazebo will be located on the west side of the Purple Heart Monument and will be built of wood. It will sit on a 12 foot by 18 foot concrete base. As a part of the project, a concrete barrier will be installed on the outer edge of memorial's circular walkway to hold the bricks in place.
Michael Travis of Cullman has agreed to serve as general contractor for the project. His brother Nelson Travis was killed in action in Iraq earlier this year. Work was expected to begin this week.
"The monument is a living memorial honoring all veterans, not just Purple Heart recipients, and it has hundreds of visitors each year," Shaffran said. "The gazebo will allow visitors to get in out of the weather during their stay and give us a shelter for our Purple Heart Memorial Day observance in August.
"This is an important addition to the Purple Heart Monument project and we greatly appreciate the help we're getting from the Morgan County Commission to make it become a reality."
Space is still available in the monument's walkway for the placement of bricks in honor of or in memory of veterans. An 8 inch by 8 inch brick, which includes the engraved name of the veteran, branch of service and date of service, is available for a donation of $65. A 4inch by 8 inch brick is $35.
By committing $25,000 from next year's operating budget as a local match, Lyons also played a key role in the commission's recent decision to support a proposed $250,000 expansion of Sparkman Civic Center for use as a new senior citizens center. City and county officials are in the process of submitting a grant request in that amount to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.