Monday was a bittersweet day for those involved with the Veterans Honor Roll Project in Platteville. A special open house, displaying all eight statues was held at the Mining Museum, where earlier in the evening, the committee worked through the details of delaying the completion of the project.
According to Mike Myers, chairman of the Veterans Honor Roll Project committee, they are unable to proceed with the construction of the concrete bases for the statues and the completion of the project will not be in November, as expected. Additional donations are needed for the construction of the concrete bases.
A special ceremony planned for Nov. 11 will still take place; however, instead of an unveiling of the entire project, the event will serve as a preview. All of the statues will be on display at City Park on Nov. 11. The event will begin at 10 a.m. inside the City Hall Auditorium with the Platteville High School Band. The program, led by Kathy Kopp, executive director of the Platteville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Dave Kies, guest speaker, will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a program at City Park, led by Myers.
Myers expects a couple thousand people to attend the preview event. "We want to show people what we have accomplished and where their money is going," said Myers, noting the Nov. 11 ceremony will offer the opportunity to honor men and women from the community who have served and sacrificed for their country.
Once complete, the project will include the names of nearly 3,500 men and women from the community who served in the military.
An official ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the completed project is expected on Memorial Day 2011.