Johns Creek Veterans Group Plans Memorial Grounds

The Johns Creek Veterans Association (JCVA) is embarking on a plan to build a meditative memorial to veterans in a quiet, unused portion of Newtown Park.

The association will need to raise $150,000 to start the project, but has a final goal of $300,000 to cover all the features it hopes to add. No tax dollars are planned for the memorial. The JCVA is partnering with Leadership Johns Creek in its fundraising and marketing effort. The City Council on Jan. 14 gave the Veterans Association verbal permission to proceed.

Called the Johns Creek Veterans Memorial Walk at Newtown Park, the memorial would offer a contemplative place for people to pause and remember the men and women who served their country, said Johns Creek Veterans Association President Gerry Lewis.

"Currently, there is no memorial to our veterans in Johns Creek," Lewis said. "This will allow Johns Creek veterans and their families to have somewhere local to reflect on the service and sacrifice of America's men and women in uniform. It is not a place to celebrate war, but to provide our residents a place to honor the legacy of those who served and those currently serving." 

Located on four acres just south of Park Place, the city's active adult center at Newtown Park, the Memorial Walk would include a handicap-accessible, landscaped trail with black granite memorials for each major conflict dating from World War I.

As envisioned, the memorials would be simply designed with the name and years of the conflict, and its Campaign Service Medal. At the entrance plaza would be a brick sitting wall and flags for each branch of service. A gazebo will rest in the midst of the walking paths, which would be stained to match the Park Place patio.

The JCVA and Leadership Johns Creek plan to accept donations for the walkway, monuments, park benches, entrance plaza, gazebo, and engraved pavers to raise money for the project. The engraved pavers would be located near the monuments.

Groundbreaking is tentatively set for Memorial Day, and completion is anticipated to be Veterans Day 2014.

To participate in the Memorial Walk with financial or in-kind contributions, please contact Wayne Kidd at crashdayrvn@att.net or 770-992-2493; or Gary Langford at GWL745@comcast.net at 678-986-3199.