SPOKANE, Wash — After a year delay on the project, due to COVID-19 impacts, the 1985 Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Spokane Riverfront Park will be renovated before Veterans Day.
According to a press release by the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation, the renovation project began in 2019 with initial fundraising efforts through the Our Town Gala hosted by former Mayor David and Kristin Condon, and additional generous donors have since offered their support the project
The cost of the renovation for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was about $109,000, which was completed in partnership with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs and the Inland Northwest Vietnam Veterans Memorial Revitalization Committee.
Spokane Director of Parks and Recreation Garrett Jones said local veterans participated in the renovation of the memorial by identifying priorities for the renovation and provided feedback during the renovation process.
“These renovations are a small way we can honor and thank our veterans for their sacrifices in service for our country,” Jones said. “Hearing from veterans about their renovation priorities was key, and then we focused on bringing those priorities to life with great help from donors who gave generously to this restoration.”
The memorial will be cleaned, polished and have its cracks repaired. New amenities will be added to the memorial, which includes a decorative handrail, benches, flag poles, an expanded plaza, wayfinding, and new plants to enhance the greenscape.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held upon completion of the memorial before Veterans Day.
The memorial first opened on Nov. 11, 1985, after local veterans and supporters' efforts to plan and fundraise $95,000 for the monument. Deborah Copenhaver Fellows designed the bronze statue that depicts a soldier holding a letter. The names of deceased Vietnam veterans from the Spokane area are engraved on the sculpture's pedestal.
