East Longmeadow Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Terry Glusko speaks on the memorial project at the June 23 Town Council meeting.
Photo credit: ELCAT01028
EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Town Council unanimously approved to match up to $100,000 in donations made to the Veterans Memorial Committee until October in a push to complete the Veterans Memorial.
The council voted to allocate free cash for the dollar-to-dollar donation matches in hopes of garnering the remaining $186,349 needed for design, construction and additional costs. The project’s total cost sits at about $830,000 with about $643,000 raised so far over the project’s eight year history.
The town’s finance director will verify donations before expending them to the project. Any unused funds will revert back to the town’s general fund.
Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Terry Glusko spoke about the memorial efforts at the Town Council meeting on June 23.
The committee’s mission since its 2018 conception is to honor every East Longmeadow veteran and pay tribute to the 20 veterans who “did give their life for this community,” according to Glusko.
Glusko later told Reminder Publishing that he had been talking with the council about the memorial for a few years now, but Councilor Ralph Page reached out to him several weeks ago about the donation matches.
“In celebration of the country’s 250th birthday, what better way to help us celebrate by remembering those from East Longmeadow that have given their all,” Page said. “I asked [Council President Conor O’Shea] to put this on the agenda as a matching donation so that anyone that contributes, we would also contribute up to a total of $100,000. I know they’re looking to generate the last $200,000, roughly … Hopefully we get them there and I’d love to see a shovel in the ground by Veterans Day this year.”
Glusko said the committee is strongly appreciative of the Town Council’s effort to fund the memorial after eight years of fundraising. He said it’s “really important that the strategy is, we get this word out to the community.”
He added that some residents might even be unaware of the committee’s work to construct a memorial.
“I think if we don’t get this across the finish line, we’re gonna run the risk of forgetting,” Glusko said. “There’s the phrase that is in the common circle of all veterans and that is three words, ‘lest we forget.’ What those three words mean, it’s a solemn promise to perpetuate the legacy of the veterans who gave their lives. It’s always been a solemn tribute.”
Glusko also noted that vendors who bid on the project can’t hold to their original price offers.
“Out of the four or five vendors, there might be one or two right now that are going to have to increase,” Glusko said. “The longer this goes on, obviously, we all know that’s going to impact the price, but hopefully not too much. Our architect, Kevin Rothschild, Architecture EL, W.J. Quinn, our general contractor, they’re working feverishly to hold the line and they’re doing an excellent job.”
Page handed a check directly to Glusko once the motion passed, making the first donation to match through his own company, Page Landscaping. Westfield Gas and Electric also donated $5,000.
Glusko said, “Thanks everybody, you really don’t know what this means to us.”
Check donations can be made in-person or through mail at PeoplesBank, 201 North Main St., payable to the East Longmeadow Veterans Memoral Committee. Glusko said forms will also be sent out to households and businesses explaining the project and how to donate.
