Simsbury Veterans Propose New Memorial

As the community prepares to celebrate the nation's independence, two local veterans organizations are planning a new permanent memorial to honor Simsbury men and women who have served in the armed forces.

The American Legion Post 84 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1926 have teamed up to create a new Simsbury Veterans Memorial which could be located at one of two potential locations: the Old Drake Hill Bridge Park or Schultz Park in downtown Simsbury.

The groups were originally considering nine different locations but have narrowed the options to two because of significant problems at the other sites.

The groups presented the project proposal during a Board of Selectmen meeting Monday night. Based on the proposal given to town officials, the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge Committee is working with the veterans groups to facilitate the establishment of the memorial at the park.

"The Drake Hill Bridge seems to be, for a variety of reasons, a great spot," Senior Vice Commander of the American Legion Post Bruce Elliot.

The proposed memorial would be presented as a gift to the town.

"Thank you for undertaking this," Deputy First Selectman John Hampton said. "It seems like the current [memorial] outside of Eno, we're outgrowing it, sadly."

Hampton asked if the groups plan to leave the current memorial at its location in front of Eno Memorial Hall.

"We've considered several options for the existing monument," Len Lanza said. "We're still not certain where we're going to recommend going with it at this point. It might in part depend upon what we finalize as the design of choice."

Elliot said the groups plan to have a design for the new memorial within the next seven months. Terri Hahn of Landscap Artchitectural Design Associates has come forward to assist the group with the design of the memorial.

The board unanimously approved the proposal and will wait for further details about the location and final plans for the memorial.