County clerk weighs in on Vietnam Veterans Memorial
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KINGWOOD – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was once more a topic of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting of the Preston County Commission. This time it’s about making the names on the walkway bricks easier for relatives and friends to find.
In December 2020, VVA Chapter 977 members made a formal request to the Preston County Commission to place the memorial on the courthouse lawn. Veterans Jim Savage and William Benson told commissioners the chapter worked more than six years to make the memorial a reality. Funding for the project came from money the chapter put aside for the memorial and from public donations. Chapter 977 holds three 50-50 raffles a year to raise funds for their projects. The memorial was be turned over to the county following the dedication. The 5-foot-by-8-foot, 4,888 pound, three-piece black marble monument cost $19,705 plus $3,500 to deliver and set up. The concrete base is 40 inches deep, 102 inches long and 14 inches wide.
County Clerk Dave Sypolt presented commissioners with a report about the memorial. He said the commission should assume the responsibility for the sale and placement of the bricks that make up the walkway to the memorial. The bricks are currently been being sold and placed by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 977 (VVA Chapter 977) who raised the money for the memorial.
Sypolt said some of the bricks originated from the former Main Street Kingwood Veterans Plaza. He said over 224 bricks were relocated from the plaza. Additional bricks sold by VVA Chapter 977 has brought the number to over 1,000.
Sypolt said the walkway and Veterans Plaza are on public courthouse ground under commission oversight. He said taking over sales ensures consistent management, installation, standards and maintenance as a permanent county asset.
"VVA Chapter 977 has provided invaluable leadership and fundraising for years. Formal commission involvement reduces reliance on a single volunteer organization, guaranteeing continuity as membership ages or capacity changes," he said.
Sypolt said county administration, or a designated office, can offer year-round, centralized ordering, online forms, in person at the courthouse annex or via county website making it easier for families, veterans and out-of-area relatives to participate. He said official county records would enable accurate inventories, an updateable digital directory building, QR code or other ideas already discussed, and clearer accounting of funds dedicated to plaza improvement or related veteran support.
Sypolt said commission leadership has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to honor all eras of service while continuing collaboration with VVA Chapter 977, the Preston County Honor Guard, VFW posts and other veteran groups for dedications and ceremonies. He also said proceeds could help fund Phase 2 elements such as gathering spaces, lighting, branch monuments or ongoing landscaping, aligning sales revenue with the commission’s prior investment.
Sypolt said the commission could maintain close partnership with VVA Chapter 977 and the Preston County Honor Guard for historical knowledge, ceremony participation and any transitional support. He said the commission could explore complementary enhancements like those already raised such as online searchable lists, QR codes and permanent lighting to make the walkway more visitor friendly.
In other business, commissioners proclaimed October 23-31 as Red Ribbon Week. Daniel Stiles, prevention coordinator and public health educator for the Preston County Health Department, said the week will be kicked of with a teen Halloween social on Oct. 24 at the Terra Alta Community Building. He said the event will provide middle and high school students with a safe, substance-free Halloween activity.
He said another major component this year is the Health Department’s Red Ribbon Week contest. He said students will have the opportunity to create their own prevention and awareness campaigns.
"Rather than simply telling young people what prevention messaging should look like, we want to give them the opportunity to use their own creative and voices to communicate why remaining drug free matters to them and their peers," Stiles said.
The commission:
– Voted to allow high school junior and senior students to serve as poll workers.
– Proclaimed October as Breast Cancer Month.
– Voted to proclaim October 4-10 as National 4-H week.
The next meeting of the Preston County Commission will be at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 13.