CAMDENTON, Mo. — The City of Camdenton is having trouble paying for a monument to veterans, after raising only one percent of the needed funds in donations.
The issue began with a contentious series of Aldermen meetings in 2015, which included discussions about changing the name of Camdenton’s airport from Camdenton Memorial Airport to Camdenton Lake Regional Airport.
For several weeks during regularly scheduled Alderman meetings, parking spaces outside City Hall were packed. Many veterans’ representatives attended and spoke passionately in favor of preserving the word “memorial” in the airport’s name, and they ultimately won the argument. Camdenton’s airport is now officially the Camdenton Memorial Lake Regional Airport.
Mayor McNabb and other Aldermen often said, during those discussions, that the airport also needs a true monument explaining what the word “memorial” represents. The Board subsequently approved mayoral recommendations for appointments to a Veterans’ Memorial monument committee. The Board then approved design recommendations from that committee for a memorial and budgeted $10,000 toward the monument.
At a poorly attended dedication ceremony, the City announced the design and began a campaign to accept donations in kind or in cash to complete the project, now estimated to cost $37,332. On Tuesday, July 5, City Administrator J. Jeff Hancock asked the Board how it would like the City to proceed in light of the fact that donations, to date, total $386.
Alderwoman Osborn was the first to speak in favor of finding the money to complete the monument project. She also noted Air Show plans include an effort to secure more donations.
Alderman Hagedorn added he’s “disappointed with veterans’ groups” that have not supported the Memorial project with dollars. Mayor McNabb shared his hope that a groundbreaking ceremony for the monument would spur renewed interest and attention for the cause--if the press vigorously reports it, he qualified.
With a unanimous vote to proceed in spite of being approximately $27,332 short of funds, Hancock stated the Board will have a contract for work to consider at the July 19 meeting and that the company authorized for the work should be able to complete it in time for the Air Show on Sept. 10.
In other City business, Camdenton unanimously approved written policy to administer the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). City ordinance currently states the City will uphold the FMLA, but heretofore the City did not have a written policy in place for how it would administer the law.
