ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – It’s a new plaza that is imagined as “the public living room of Belmont County,” a place to honor our veterans and gather near the courthouse in St. Clairsville.
Local veterans will have a front-row seat at the new plaza, which Belmont County Commissioners announced Wednesday they will name Veterans’ Plaza in honor of local service members.
Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann told River News Network that it was important to him and his colleagues to choose a meaningful name for the plaza.
Veterans’ Plaza seemed like a great idea, especially this close to
Jerry Echemann, Belmont County Commissioner
veterans day, and, you know, when you look in the eyes of these veterans and they thank you,they thank you from the bottom of their heart. these guys are so sincere and have such gratitude just for naming something veterans’ plaza, and we really appreciate that
Several Belmont County veterans attended the Wednesday commissioners meeting for the announcement including Terry Puperi of American Legion Post 312 in Belmont.
Puperi said it is an honor to have the plaza named for the veterans of Belmont County.
It’s a great honor for the veterans of our county. We have so many veterans in our county as they mentioned in the meeting. I think that being this county seat right here in St. Clairsville, putting this plaza up is just a tremendous honor.
Terry Puperi, Veteran, American Legion Post 312 in Belmont.
Puperi hopes to see educational programs about the military for younger generations plus ceremonies to honor veterans at the new Veterans’ Plaza on special days like Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Perhaps most of all, Puperi says the plaza will be a gathering place for veterans to meet and remember.
I looked at the picture the architect drew up and it’s just a nice place to come and sit. And I think that just, you know, for veterans, maybe just coming to sit and think about our service. You know, you hear us talking over here and telling old war stories if you will, and you know that’s what we do, and it would be a nice gathering place, I think.
Terry Puperi, Veteran, American Legion Post 312 in Belmont.
Gabe Hayes, Principal Landscape Architect with the Mannik and Smith group, formerly Hayes Landscape Architecture, describes the outdoor space as “the public living room of Belmont County.”
Hayes says commissioners selected his company for design and engineering helped for the project. He added that funds are now secured through ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) and the project will go out for bid. Hayes added that the plaza with be accessible to disabled people.
It will absolutely be a nice gathering place for people, and so the idea is to make a better space for for people…more importantly than anything to bring it into ADA compliance with parking spaces, slopes, handrails, all the stuff that needs to happen to a pre-ADA landscape and streetscape space.
Gabe Hayes, Principal Landscape Architect with the Mannik and Smith group,
Echemann says the project is around 95% funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the courthouse’s proximity to U.S. Route 40 enabled eligibility for that funding.
the fact that we’re sitting on Historic National Road here with the courthouse really helped to get the grant, and we’re just grateful to ODOT.
Jerry Echemann, Belmont County Commissioner
Construction on Veterans’ Plaza is scheduled to begin in April and finish in October, according to Echemann.
You can watch the livestream of the Belmont County Commissioners’ meeting on the River News Network Facebook page HERE
