A local veteran is looking to put together a committee that will provide input on a beautification project for the Grande Prairie Cenotaph.
Grande Prairie’s Royal Canadian Legion First Vice President Frank Skolly says the state of the Cenotaph leaves some things to be desired and adds that local veterans are ready for a change.
“Well, the Cenotaph in Grand Prairie, she’s getting a little run down on, and it needs to be updated too it hasn’t been properly updated in years,” he says. “People would like to see it come back to what it did look like.”
According to Skolly, when the Cenotaph was dedicated in 1959, the site looked quite different. He says the desire is there to rejuvenate the memorial site, and right now, it’s just a matter of getting local vets together to get the job done.
“Jubilee is a nice park, but it’s time for an update, the shape it’s in right now, it does need some rehab,” he says. “Right now I need to get a committee together and form a plan of what we want to do and set a budget.”
Skolly shared some ideas for how the site could be revamped, saying he’s been in contact with the city’s parks department to get rid of some of the dead trees, install some flagpoles behind it, and install better lighting to ensure the site is more accessible ahead of Remembrance Day.
He says the Cenotaph is an important part of a veteran’s lifestyle, and after serving six years in the armed forces himself, the VP says the memorial is meaningful year-round.
“When you have a military lifestyle, you know, it’s a comradeship amongst us that, it just doesn’t really go away,” he says. “The Cenotaph is to remember those who helped ensure our freedoms and rights and also remember the horrors of war.”
Any veterans interested in helping Frank achieve his goal are encouraged to check out the Grande Prairie Cenotaph Facebook group or contact him directly through the legion.
