Placement: Proclamations and Special presentations
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Approve the Proposed POW/MIA Chair of Honor Monument at Veterans Memorial Park
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Submitted By: Brad Keen, Assistant Director, Parks & Recreation Department.
Strategic Plan Link: The City’s Mission to be responsive to our community.
Executive Summary (General Business): Rolling Thunder, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the memory of all prisoners of war and those missing in action (POW/MIA) in the public realm so as not to forget their sacrifice. A simple granite chair etched with the POW/MIA symbol, is proposed for placement at Veterans Memorial Park. The empty chair is symbolic of those U.S. military service members who went to war, did not return, but who are not forgotten.
Presentation Information: The special presentation will take no more than 10 minutes. Brad Keen, Assistant Director, Parks & Recreation Department, will present a brief Power Point presentation and introduce a member of Rolling Thunder, Inc., to briefly address the Council.
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council approve the placement of the proposed “POW/MIA Chair of Honor” at Veterans Memorial Park.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and approve the placement of the proposed “POW/MIA Chair of Honor” at Veterans Memorial Park.
2. Move that the Council provide staff direction.
Background: Members of Rolling Thunder, Inc., Florida Chapter 6, are requesting authorization to place a POW/MIA Chair of Honor within the City’s Veterans Memorial Park. The “mission of Rolling Thunder, Inc. is to publicize the POW/MIA issue: To educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all previous wars, and to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become prisoners of war-missing in action.” The proposed monument will be in the form of a chair, made of granite and etched with the official symbol remembering POW/MIAs. The Chair of Honor will symbolize the ultimate sacrifice given by each POW/MIA service member or held as a POW/MIA whose remains have not been returned. The empty chair is a reminder that America’s POW/MIAs may be absent, but they are not forgotten. A chain will surround the Chair of Honor preventing anyone from using the monument as a seat.
Issues/Analysis: Unlike the other memorials located in Veterans Memorial Park, the presence of the POW/MIA Chair of Honor will serve to symbolize the importance of honoring and recognizing prisoners of war and those that remain missing in action, rather than memorializing these individuals.
Financial Information: The members of Rolling Thunder, Inc., Florida Chapter 6, will bear all costs related to the acquisition, fabrication, etching, engraving, delivery, and placement of the granite POW/MIA Chair of Honor. The members of Rolling Thunder will also provide a plaque and mounting post that describes what the Chair of Honor represents and other pertinent information. The Parks & Recreation Department will properly prepare the location within Veterans Memorial Park on which the POW/MIA Chair of Honor will be located, including preparing the ground, pouring a concrete slab/foundation, and providing appropriate landscaping. Project funds will be found within the FY 2022-2023 annual operating budget of the #001-7210 cost center (Parks Division).
Special Consideration: The placement of the POW/MIA Chair of Honor is anticipated to be completed prior to the third Friday in September; the day established by an Act of Congress as POW/MIA Recognition Day.
Location of Project: Veterans Memorial Park, 2100 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway, Port St. Lucie, Florida, 34952.
Attachments: Power Point Presentation, Aerial of Veterans Memorial Park.
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: N/A.
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Camille Wallace, Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by James D. Stokes, City Attorney.