Park Township Veterans Memorial will use former airport's iconic plane

PARK TWP. — The newest plans for a Veterans Memorial at Park Township's Community Park utilize the site's iconic airplane.

The memorial has been a talking point since the municipality started gathering ideas for the former airport in 2022. The most recent design, with a budget in the neighborhood of $275,000, uses the airplane as a focal point. It's a scaled-down version of previous plans, which had estimated costs of $3-4 million.

“We didn't think that was a realistic venture in terms of size and cost, and also just in terms of how it fit with the site,” Township Manager Howard Fink said during a meeting of the Park Township Board of Trustees on July 11. “I worked with the (Holland Area Veterans Council) to redesign it in a way that was more contextually appropriate and ... still spoke to their vision."

Fink said current numbers are only an estimate, but added — under the new plan — construction could begin much sooner than expected.

“I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity ... to build this park,” said HAVC President Ed Lopez. “It’s going to be huge.”

“This is one of the areas of the park that I'm really excited about,” said Board Treasurer Jan Steggerda. “I’m very proud that we're able to do this.”

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Despite the nearly $300,000 price tag, the project won't cost the township a dime. HAVC will cover the cost and tackle maintenance, with potential assistance from the township.

The board voted to approve the concept and site plan on Thursday.

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.