The Leawood City Council has given final approval to plans for a veterans memorial just south of the main entrance to City Hall. The unanimous vote at its Monday meeting last week means fundraising can now begin in earnest to change City Hall’s plaza to honor veterans who have served in war or peacetime.
The memorial will consist of some changes to the brick area around three flagpoles at the main drive. Granite surfaces would be added to a low brick wall just under the flagpoles, and on the granite would be the six bronze seals of the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.
Two 6-foot granite markers would flank the flagpole area and would commemorate the memorial’s founding sponsors and dedication date. In addition, there will be six star etchings at grade level around the ground-mounted illumination. A sidewalk will also be added around the area.
The city council approved plans for the memorial after asking some questions. Melissa Duggan, Leawood’s cultural arts supervisor, was asked whether the memorial could be ready in time for a Veterans Day celebration next year. She said that would depend on fundraising.
The memorial is to be funded by private donations, and the plan is for all the fundraising to be in place before construction begins, she said. Local fabricators and contractors will also need to be contacted to get a better idea of the fundraising goal, Duggan said.
So far, about $36,000 has been contributed.
The idea for a memorial began a little more than a year ago, when it came up in conversations between some of the city advisory board members and local veterans. Some 1,500 veterans live in Leawood, and returning vets have always been a big part of the city’s history, Leawood Historical Commission Chair April Bishop said during a city council discussion last summer.
Go deeper: Leawood officials keen to add veterans memorial on city hall grounds
