The Santa Clarita City Council unanimously voted to approve the community-funded war memorial at the corner of Veterans Historical Plaza in Newhall Tuesday night.
Six speakers and five comment cards spoke in favor of the memorial before Councilmember TimBen Boydston motioned for its approval and Mayor Pro Tem Dante Acosta seconded it.
The black granite memorial will include the engraved names of 50 Santa Clarita Valley natives who lost their lives serving from World War II to present. It will stand under trees at the corner of the park at Market Street and Newhall Avenue.
The memorial’s approval comes nearly a year after it was originally proposed by veteran Bill Reynolds.
“It did take a little while to get to this point but in retrospect I don’t care,” Reynolds said. “I’m just so happy.”
Since its inception, the memorial experienced controversy regarding its design, location and cost. It underwent a redesign and a relocation before its final approval.
Reynolds said the final memorial will stand at approximately 7-feet-6-inches long and 5-feet-6-inches high. The total cost of the memorial will be about $45,000, Reynolds said.
“This will be community funded,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he already has received contributions from residents and support from local organizations and businesses for the project.
“Everyone is on board with this,” he said. “Everyone says this is a no-brainer.”
The next steps for the memorial include beginning coordination between the project manager and Charlie Rasmussen, who is donating his time to the monument, and seeking community contributions.
“All donations would be greatly appreciated,” Reynolds said.
Those interested in donating can write donation checks made out to SCV Veterans Memorial, Inc to Eternal Valley Park and Mortuary.
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