BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE – Veterans and their supporters let commissioners know they oppose plans to move their memorial park from Call Street to Edwards Road.
They spoke mostly with their presence at the June 6 meeting, but a few did rise to speak directly to the commission.
Edythe Robinson Hill said those who live here and come to town enjoy Charles J. Schaefer Sr. Veterans Memorial Park where it has been for 40 years.
“I know you are probably considering it for financial reasons, but there are more important reasons than that. … There are too many people and a lot of veterans here in the audience that really like it where it’s at,” she said.
Alvin Hunter said it was appropriate to have this discussion on the 79th anniversary of the Normandy landing. He criticized leaders who didn’t attend the American Legion Memorial Day ceremony, and while he appreciated the ceremony, he said it turned into a political rally about the monument.
“There’s a time and place for everything, and I’m all for people speaking their opinion. That is one of the reasons why I spent 20 years serving this country — to preserve those freedoms. … I went there to honor the dead — my friends, my neighbors, my family — and it turned into a fiasco afterwards,” he said.
However, Hunter said he had changed his mind about moving the monument now that he knows more about its history — specifically that the land was donated to establish a veterans memorial there and donations were raised to build it.
Hunter called on the commission to rescind its April 18 resolution to relocate the park to Edwards Road.
Mitchell Gunter talked about family members listed on Starke’s monument and the multifamily housing that could possibly be built on an adjacent parcel. If space is needed for parking, it can be located underneath the townhouses, he said. As the city grows, there are opportunities to take “eyesores” around town and transform them into something better. Moving the veterans memorial near a kids’ hangout, however, places it in danger of vandalism.
“I do not want the monument of my kin people desecrated because we want to build apartments downtown,” Gunter said.
Commissioner Andy Redding was ready with a prepared statement responding to the decision to move, expand and update the park. He said his work arose out of a conversation with his 9-year-old daughter about the members of their family who were represented at the memorial and who wasn’t — her grandfather who served 37 years and fought in Afghanistan.
The only conflicts represented at the memorial are the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam. Redding said millions who have served dating back to the American Revolution have no presence in the park. Likewise, there is nothing there honoring the service of women or people of color, he said.
“Yet there’s a monument there that honors canines, horses, pigeons and dolphins,” he said.
Redding said the park also lacks parking, with only six spaces immediately adjacent to the park and less than 30 in the wider area. There is no easy access for those with disabilities. The constant flow of traffic is also a safety concern, he said, and the overpass construction has made the area more congested.
The size of the current park is only four-tenths of an acre, Redding said, and the elevation and construction of a new St. Clair Street extension has made it even more flood prone. Nor is the park exempt from vandalism, he said, as the American flag there was recently replaced with a Confederate flag.
Turning to the positive, Redding said the city commission has committed at least $100,000 to provide a safe and accessible park on a 300% lager parcel on Edwards Road. There will be on-site parking, including handicapped spaces, as well as overflow parking across the street and a dedicated crosswalk. The property, which will be monitored by security cameras, is 1,200 feet from the American Legion post and 800 feet from the Army National Guard Armory.
“This will present endless opportunities for events that honor all veterans, active soldiers, events at the Legion and events at the sports complex,” Redding said.
Far from out of the way, the park would be across the road from that sports complex, which draws thousands of kids and their families.
“Our future soldiers, our future nurses, our future firefighters, law enforcement officers and the list goes on — these are the future leaders of our community, Florida and America. We have to invest in them and ingrain in them what it is to be an American patriot, not keep it to ourselves just because we say so. This is accomplished by showing the youth, our citizens, our community and beyond that we honor and cherish all veterans,” he said.
Redding said that despite sharing his information, no one had contacted him to discuss the park or the city’s plans to move it.
Commissioner Danny Nugent said he agrees with the American Legion’s position, saying there is room to expand at the current location.
“If someone wanted to donate, I’m sure they could add more statues or more monuments,” he said.
Nugent, a past commander of Post 56, said if others were more involved and knew the history, they would understand the pride the Legion has in the park and those it memorializes.
