Monessen veterans memorials will be restored
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
In less than two months, Monessen veterans have raised $10,000 to restore two war memorials in the city.
Ron Chromulak, co-chairman of the Monessen War Memorial Trust, said residents were eager to help with the project.
The World War II memorial sits in City Park and is easily recognizable by seven tall, polished marble columns.
Thousands of names of veterans from Monessen who served from World War II to the present are etched in the stones that have weathered over time, collecting dirt and debris.
An even older memorial — a U.S. Army Sherman tank that was dedicated in 1959 to commemorate the city’s war dead — is also in need of repair.
Some of the wear is due to years of residents visiting the sites. Trees planted near the memorials also contributed to the dirt, but have since been taken out.
In addition to a professional cleaning, Chromulak said the memorials need to have some bricks replaced and repaired and some need to be resealed.
The Monessen War Veterans Memorial Trust was established several years ago to maintain the memorials, but projects over the years have depleted the balance.
“When people heard about this, donations started coming from here, there, everywhere,” Chromulak said. “I didn’t think we would raise the money so quickly, but the community has been so generous. But that’s not a surprise, that’s the kind of people we are in Monessen.”
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