By JIM HARDIN
CNHI
Rockwall County —
A recent vote by Rockwall County Commissioners Court was applauded by the audience of almost 30 people.
The vote was the commissioners’ unanimous decision on July 22 to approve the final design of the Rockwall County Veterans Memorial that will be built adjacent to the Rockwall County Courthouse.
Lorie Grinnan, the commissioners’ lead person on the project, made the motion that the final design be approved. Her motion also called for authorizing the county auditor to transfer $500,000 from the current-year budget to a special fund for this capital project.
Before the vote during the special nighttime meeting, County Judge Chris Florance asked if veterans in the audience had any comments.
The lone speaker was Bob Amick, a member of the veterans’ memorial committee.
“I want to personally thank you and, as a part of the committee, thank you for giving us this opportunity to be a part of planning for this,“ he said.
“And thanks to the court specifically for stepping up and enabling this whole project to move forward and come to this point. We deeply appreciate it.”
Commissioners then voted, followed by applause. The audience was mostly military service veterans.
The meeting focused on Dan Fletcher, a Plano intern architect. His entry — Symbolic Journey — was a design jury’s top choice in the veterans’ memorial design contest. His winning entry was revealed in February.
Fletcher made a detailed presentation covering his original design and changes that had been recommended.
Even though the final design was accepted, there still are some questions that will be answered later. One involves the location of a sign that will be built at the memorial’s entrance.
The veterans’ memorial will be a public gathering place, area of contemplation, reverent area of remembrance and site for special events.
