A group of Ohio veterans recently attempted to block the razing of a veterans memorial in Columbus.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, city commissioners voted this week to demolish the Franklin County Veterans Memorial in order to make room for a multimillion dollar glass-and-steel veterans memorial and museum. The proposed facility is part of a larger plan to develop the Scioto Peninsula – which is located near downtown Columbus – and turn it into a cultural and educational hub.
Although a new building will be built in the place of the Franklin County Veterans Memorial, many Ohio veterans were angered by the redevelopment plan. According to the news source, a group of former servicemembers attended the city meeting to fight for the 60-year-old veterans complex. Some veterans argued that the memorial just needed to be renovated, not rebuilt, while others claimed that the new facility might drive away local veterans and their families.
"I feel outnumbered here. I'm not a general, I'm just a sergeant, but the military taught me what it means to be a family," told the news outlet, adding that many local veterans feared they would be charged a fee to enter the museum and memorial.
The Franklin County Veterans Memorial was established in 1955, and features a convention and entertainment hall used for trade shows, competitions and concerts, according to the memorial's website.