A war memorial at Lantzville’s Huddlestone Park is expected to be completed and dedicated by the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 257 has been spearheading the $150,000 project, which will see a cenotaph and memorial pathway constructed in the park.
It has secured upwards of $50,000 in funding from the federal government and another $50,000 from the province, according to Jim McEwan, branch 257 cenotaph fundraising chairman.
The project is still short approximately $10,000 and McEwan hopes sales of memorial stones will help. The stones will be engraved with names of war veterans and first responders and line the pathway around the cenotaph. There is room for about 200 stones.
“We’re very close to 100 [stones sold],” McEwan said. “We’re doing very well on that and people are finding it quite popular. We’ll be making our first order with the supplier this week.”
The District of Lantzville unanimously approved a motion at a recent council meeting authorizing the legion to proceed with construction. Mayor Jack de Jong said the district has to keep a tab on assistance as the federal government funding matches anything up to $50,000.
He said all of the district’s help has been in-kind.
“It’s been fairly significant. We’ve had to assess the value of the land donated, the value of the path that we’re doing and so forth,” said de Jong.
McEwan said the legion is currently reviewing contractors for installation of the cenotaph’s base. Granite will come from Stanstead, Que. and Mortimer’s Monumental Works in Victoria will provide the finished cenotaph. The dedication is set for Aug. 9.
The Lantzville legion will also be holding a fashion show and lunch to raise money on Sunday (May 25), 1-4 p.m., at Costin Hall in Lantzville.
For more information, please call 250-390-2841.