The next meeting will be held on Nov. 20.
Medford Township Council discussed the proposed design plans of new war monuments at this week’s meeting.
The council was provided with photos and dimensions for World War II and Korean War monuments to be placed in Freedom Park, and following a discussion on the plans, the council agreed the new designs differed too extensively from monuments already in place.
“[This is] one memorial with multiple wars represented in the one memorial, so I think each war should be [represented] similarly so you don’t say one’s better than another or one’s more important than another,” Deputy Mayor Brad Denn said. “The drawings were getting a little flamboyant on some that weren’t matching what was already put in place for the other wars, so I feel like they should be more uniform to what’s there already.”
Councilman Erik Rebstock agreed with Denn, saying the monument itself shouldn’t be a distraction and that the continuity of the visuals is an important aspect of the memorial.
Councilman Chris Buoni followed by stating all wars hold different levels of importance and relevance depending on people’s personal relation to the wars themselves, therefore they should all be displayed with the same amount of reverence.
“A person walking and experiencing all those memorials needs to have visual cues to understand,” Buoni said. “When you start changing the design you actually create a little bit of confusion, so it’s really not a good design principal to have those differences.”
He continued by stating having different design plans could create an unbalanced reaction to each war, and keeping the same design aesthetic can help ensure all wars are interpreted with the same level of respect, and that they put across the same message of honoring those who served.
Mayor Chuck Watson noted he will pass along the feedback to alter the design plans, and said, “I do agree, I really want to make that a special place.”
In other news:
- The Medford Halloween Parade was postponed to Oct. 28 due to inclement weather, but ultimately was a successful night.
- The next “Food Trucks on Main Street” event will be held on Nov. 15 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be held on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Public Safety Building located at 91 Union St. at 7 p.m.
