Car crashes prompt relocation of Columbus veterans memorial

Columbus is paying to restore and relocate a North Linden veterans memorial that has been repeatedly struck by vehicles in recent years.

Driving the news: City Council voted to approve a $90,581 contract with E&L Cemetery Services for the work.

State of play: The Linden War Memorial at 2652 Cleveland Ave. has long paid tribute to veterans of the two World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

• It's located on a triangle-shaped lot without any barricades, which has proved to be an issue.

Flashback: A vehicle crashed into the monument in 2019, cracking the stone and toppling over several plaques. Columbus and E&L Cemetery Services repaired it.

• Two years later, another driver struck the monument and destroyed its entire left half.
• This is around the time a vehicle ruined a historical marker for early settler Lucas Sullivant on West Broad Street.

What they're saying: The plan is to restore and move the memorial to nearby Linden Park.

• The decision followed years of talks between city officials and local groups, North Linden Area commissioner Ben Keith wrote on X , but it has still drawn criticism, as seen in the post below.