May 31, 2016 at 5:56 p.m.
Community service is fitting honor
Editorial
Like most American communities, Fort Recovery wanted to honor all those with a connection to the village who have served in the military.
To that end, organizers came up with plans for a plaza on the east side of Monument Park that would — like Freedom Park in Portland and the American Legion flag assembly at Dunkirk City Park — honor the community’s veterans.
The 2,000-square-foot area currently under construction will include nine pillars that will display the seals of each branch of the military as well as the U.S., Ohio and POW/MIA flags. Names of local veterans will be displayed on panels between the pillars, which will sit in a semicircle.
The interior of that semicircle will be laid with red bricks, with a gray brick star emanating from a pillar near its center.
All of the money for the project has been donated. But that just includes the cost of the materials.
Labor is a different story.
About 6:30 p.m. one evening this month, Eric Jutte of Jutte Landscaping could be found working on one of the points of the star with some help from Jonathan Jeffries. He planned to be there until dark.
Two evenings later, he was there again. His plan was the same.
The first point of the star took him four hours — bricks don’t naturally make the shape, so there is a lot of intricate cutting involved. And the first didn’t create a template for the remaining four, meaning those would likely take just as long.
Throughout the process, Jeffries has taken photos and videos that he will use to put together a time-lapse multimedia presentation.
Jutte didn’t turn in a bid or a quote to get the job. He volunteered.
So did Jeffries. And so has everyone else who has helped with labor on the project.
They didn’t do it to receive recognition in the newspaper — Jutte would have just as soon not had his picture on the front page last week — but simply because they wanted to give back to their community.
We see it time and time again, residents and business owners in small communities doing whatever they can to make their city, town or village a better place.
Military service being honored through community service. On this day after Memorial Day, that seems especially fitting. — R.C.
To that end, organizers came up with plans for a plaza on the east side of Monument Park that would — like Freedom Park in Portland and the American Legion flag assembly at Dunkirk City Park — honor the community’s veterans.
The 2,000-square-foot area currently under construction will include nine pillars that will display the seals of each branch of the military as well as the U.S., Ohio and POW/MIA flags. Names of local veterans will be displayed on panels between the pillars, which will sit in a semicircle.
The interior of that semicircle will be laid with red bricks, with a gray brick star emanating from a pillar near its center.
All of the money for the project has been donated. But that just includes the cost of the materials.
Labor is a different story.
About 6:30 p.m. one evening this month, Eric Jutte of Jutte Landscaping could be found working on one of the points of the star with some help from Jonathan Jeffries. He planned to be there until dark.
Two evenings later, he was there again. His plan was the same.
The first point of the star took him four hours — bricks don’t naturally make the shape, so there is a lot of intricate cutting involved. And the first didn’t create a template for the remaining four, meaning those would likely take just as long.
Throughout the process, Jeffries has taken photos and videos that he will use to put together a time-lapse multimedia presentation.
Jutte didn’t turn in a bid or a quote to get the job. He volunteered.
So did Jeffries. And so has everyone else who has helped with labor on the project.
They didn’t do it to receive recognition in the newspaper — Jutte would have just as soon not had his picture on the front page last week — but simply because they wanted to give back to their community.
We see it time and time again, residents and business owners in small communities doing whatever they can to make their city, town or village a better place.
Military service being honored through community service. On this day after Memorial Day, that seems especially fitting. — R.C.
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