Plans will renew Footville's Veterans Memorial Park

FOOTVILLE — Folks in Footville have decided to spruce up their 95-year-old Veterans Memorial Park.

An 8-member committee has begun work on a $40,000 project which will see major changes in the park while maintaining the two historic monuments honoring Footville-area veterans who served in World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

“This park has always been a source of pride for the Footville community,” said committee chair Bob Selck. “The village created the park and the first monument in 1929 recognizing those who served in World War I. The village has been responsible for the park upkeep ever since.”

“The second monument, created in 1954, is for those who served in World War II and Korea,” Selck said.

Names of those who served in the three wars are inscribed on the monuments. Casualties are also noted.

The veterans park, located on a .2-acre sliver of land at the intersection of Gilbert and Janesville streets near Footville’s downtown area, will undergo a new Walk of Honor with 300 8-inch square bricks.

Each brick is available for purchase for $150 including an inscription. Information on purchasing a brick can be found at footvillewi.org. A link to purchase a brick is on that website.

The refurbished park will feature new benches, flower planters and 24-hour lighting. An extensive landscaping plan is also in the works.

The park monuments read like a who’s who in the Footville community. The name of Selck’s grandfather’s cousin, Floyd Selck, is on the World War I monument.

Veterans Memorial Park committee member Jeanne Wilson credited community involvement to the renovation project’s success.

“This is truly a community effort,” Wilson said. “With the volunteer labor and donated materials and services, we have been able to cut the cost of the project roughly in half. Our fundraising efforts are expected to get us over the top.”

Another committee member, Danielle Harnack, said she was glad to see that the park’s new look will retain the tradition of honoring the veterans whose names are on the original monuments.

“The park will have a new and pleasing look,” she said. “But it will retain the tradition starting back in 1929.”

The renovated park will also retain the solemn reminder of veterans’ sacrifices,” Selck said.

“We wanted to make sure the focus will remain on the veterans who served and sacrificed,” he said. “That’s the focus, not some elaborate structure that diminishes that focus on the veterans.”

Plans call for completion of the park upgrades this fall. An official rededication is planned for Memorial Day next year.