The Salisbury Rotary Club has raised $172,575 toward construction of a Patriots Flag Concourse and Memorial at City Park.
Thatís 86 percent of the way toward the clubís $200,000 goal, with a June 14 deadline for fundraising.
Club members heard an update on the project Tuesday, given by Edward Clement, Reid Leonard and President Seamus Donaldson.
Leonard proposed the project to Donaldson several months ago as a way to honor area veterans ó past, present and future ó and mark the recent centennial of Rotary International.
The brick-paved concourse will be constructed on park property at the corner of North Jackson and West Miller streets. Formerly the site for the armory, the area has been overlooked in recent years, Clement said. Establishing the concourse and memorial there will give City Park two ěparks within a park,î with Hurley Park on the other end, he said.
Standing on the concourse will be seven flagpoles 35-40 feet tall bearing the U.S. flag and flags for the six branches of the services ó Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. Pillars will be inscribed with a portion of the Gettysburg Address, the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and the pledge of allegiance.
Plaques on a wall will recognize donors of $1,000 or more.
Donaldson said the memorial is designed to be a gathering site and could well be the setting for a Fourth of July concert by the Salisbury Symphony some day.
Construction is slated to begin in July. The club hopes to turn the memorial over to the city on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
The club has identified four levels of giving:
Sponsor: American flagpole, $30,000 minimum.
Sponsor: Service flagpole (six available), $20,000 minimum donation.
Benefactor: $1,000 minimum. (Names of benefactors will be included on a large plaque.)
Supporter: $50-$999. Names will be listed in an official program.)
Donations may be sent to Salisbury Rotary Club, P.O. Box 4092, Salisbury, N.C. 28145-4092. Checks should be payable to Rotary 7680 Fund Inc., marked for Rotary Flag Concourse.