Page 9 - The History of Veterans at Highland Springs
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     fountain and gazebo or the park? It was finally decided to have a bench without a back so there would be a choice what to face. The Woodchucks contributed the two plaques on each side of the bench and now one can have both views. Two new benches were installed in December 2020. Locat- ed on the east side of the roadway between Hillcrest Lobby and the gate- house, The Veterans Memorial Park is visited not only by Veterans but by all the residents and others who often walk around the beautiful lake on which the park is located.
There were many ideas presented at that first exploratory meeting about the park, but it was settled to use bricks. Al and Pat Binko had already researched brick-makers and everyone seemed to know of some place where they were either used as walkways, decorated walls, or placed in a grassy area. A flyer was sent to invite all residents to a program at the Chisholm Living Room where they could closely examine bricks of various sizes, colors and designs. So, the bricks still used today were chosen based on resident input! Then the very reasonable purchase price of $50 for an engraved brick was chosen, the current site for the park was selected, and the design of the brick placements to support future expansion was decided.
Specific qualification for purchase of a brick were also decided at that meet- ing and the first Memorial Brick Drive was held in November 2016 with Ron Genter as “The Brick Man.” Seventy-five bricks were sold during this first successful Brick Drive and were in the ground by January 2017! Eligibility was expanded for the second Brick Drive, and as of July 2020 there were 258 engraved bricks in the ground and 238 available for future use.
Brick Drives are held yearly in November. Ron Genter was The Brick Man until Sam Wilder took on that mantle in 2020. The brick orders are delivered to Brick & Stone Graphics, a local engraver, and Chris Churchwell, Senior Manager, Maintenance and Grounds, assigns a staff member to pick them up. When the bricks are then approved by the Veterans Affairs Committee, they determine the placement of the brick. There is a master layout of bricks that is used to record the location of each brick. At first the bricks are deliv- ered on pallets and placed adjacent to the park. Then The Brick Man (for- merly Ron Genter and now Sam Wilder), perhaps with other members, places the new bricks on top of existing blank bricks to indicate where
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