That was shown again when private donations to add names honoring those killed in action sailed well above the projected goal of $4,000.
Tuesday night Bill Goodner said the doughboy plaque replacement drive is over $6,000 and will have double the names listed. Goodner and his wife, Verna, poured over obituaries throughout the spring to come up with 170 names to be listed under the doughboy statue.
"These are 170 men who have families, descendants and relatives in this area," he said. "I have always felt this is not a project the city should pay for and the retail merchants should not foot the bill. This should be funded by citizens and that's exactly what we've done."Goodner said plans call for the names to be placed on two plaques. One will contain those killed in World War I and II. The second will include this who sacrificed in Korea, Vietnam and the War on Terror.
Both plaques will be taking the place of the existing plaque.
Goodner said he wants to have a special dedication of the two new plaques on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2016.
He said surplus monies should be used to make a repair to the doughboy statue bayonet and upgrades on Veterans' Park.
That bayonet suffered some damage when the statue was moved from it's original location at the intersection of Fourth and Main. Now, instead of the bayonet protruding in a line ahead of the rifle, it is slightly skewed.
Goodner said repairs could be difficult since the entire statue is bronze and requires special welding skills.