Veterans Memorial is showing signs of progress as work continues
HARTINGTON — The work on the Hartington Veterans Memorial project took a major step last week when Jon Wiechelman and his Wiechelman Repair crew put in place the steel arch at the entrance to the memorial off Broadway Avenue in downtown Hartington.
Wiechelman and his crew have been working on the arch for well over a month, doing a lot of the work in the evening hours so as not to interfere with regular business taking place during the day.
Wiechelman did not compromise on the steel thickness as the structure is solid to match up with anything the weather throws at it. The last thing that Wiechelman completed on the arch was to give it five-six coats of durable paint so that it will last a long time and not rust. Wiechelman also constructed the two arches at the east and the south entrances to Felber Park back in 2007 and both arches look as good today as they did when they were installed 15 years ago with their multi-layers of paint as well.
“I can’t say enough about how terrific the arch turned out and the first-class job that Jon and his guys did to make it so. It will surely get one’s attention, advertise the memorial and be a real asset to downtown Hartington,” said project coordinator Dan Kathol.
The next step on the arch will be to brick around the two steel columns with a complementary two-tone brick that will make it look like brick pillars holding up the arch. The bricks for the pillars will most likely be laid early this next spring.
The lettering and stars on the arch’s front have back-lit lights contained in each letter that will shine back onto the black background of the arch resulting in an impressive look that will project a warm glow during the night hours. The arch lights will be on a photo cell so they will be lit all night as well as the three flags that are the backdrop to the large monument that will be placed just inside the entrance.
Clausen Brothers Construction from Wausa has been hired and started the concrete work this week and plans to finish it within 10 days, depending on the weather.
They will first lay a 30-inch-wide inside border with a two-tone dyed concrete floor that will be stamped with a pattern to give a textured look to the border and it will also be a nice contrast to the main concrete floor. This same colored and stamped concrete will be incorporated into the middle of the memorial and it will take on the look of the crossed ribbon symbol often used by the military and the veteran organizations. Because of the size of the memorial floor, the concrete will need to be poured in stages and pumped in over the north wall.
“We hope to have some fair weather for the next few weeks to get the entire interior of the memorial cemented in and the drainage system put in place to carry the rainwater and snow melt out of the back side of the memorial onto the alley behind the memorial where it can run down the alley and into the city’s storm sewer,” Kathol said.
The new target date for the dedication of the Harington Veterans Memorial is currently being planned for either the Saturday or Sunday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend 2023.