- Details
- Category: Current Issue
caption:
Proud Sign
The Veteran's Park sign was installed last week. From left: Mike Vassar, Mayor Barney Seney, Robert Challinor Jr. and Alan Joslin. The sign was taken down this week so that the apostrophe could be removed. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photo.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Ellis Tech students are in the home stretch this week.
Most of the masonry work is finished. The past few weeks the students have formed and poured concrete walkways, bases for current and future monuments, and installed 500 honor pavers. Robert Challinor Jr., chair of the Veterans Advisory Committee, said more pavers are on order and if the pavers arrive before the end of school, Ellis Tech students will be back to install them — otherwise they will do it in the fall.
Challinor said when the pavers arrived veterans working on the project laid them out in groups and put a wet look sealer on them. “We spent a couple nights sealing.”
Electrical students roughed in all the electrical and will be tying it into the panels. The work includes lighting for each monument, lamp posts (the four that were in the park are being refurbished) and more.
Some of the monuments that were in the park were put away while the renovation was going on. Mayor Barney Seney said the two large monuments that have been ordered might arrive in September or October.
A dedication on Veterans Day might be possible.
The irrigation work should also be finished this week.
Highway Superintendent Travis Sirrine said if the work is done, he hopes to work with a contractor to spread loam May 22 and May 23. After that, hydro seeding will be done by Ron Baribeau Lawn and Tree of Killingly. It will then be fenced off.
Sirrine hopes to have the work done before the Memorial Day holiday. Seney said traditionally the town’s veterans lay wreaths at the park the day before Memorial Day.
In addition, the sign that was created quite a while ago for the park was installed last Friday. It matches the color and style of all the other town signs, including the Putnam logo.
.