JAY – Selectmen approved the formation of a Monument Restoration Committee Monday to beautify the Chisholm veterans’ memorial on Main Street.

Jay resident Hyla Friedman told selectmen that a representative of the Ted Berry Co. of Livermore called and told her that they would clean the memorial for free.

A representative of Howie’s Welding in North Jay has offered to donate a new flagpole with a yardarm that would hold the U.S. flag, Maine flag and a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag.

The new pole would allow the flags to be lowered at appropriate times, Friedman said, something that is not possible with the existing pole.

“I would like to donate my husband’s funeral flag for the pole,” she said.

Friedman said Don Simoneau, a representative of the American Legion, has also found a landscape architect to donate his time to the project.

Landscape stones could be purchased by community members to represent loved ones from all branches of the military, similar to what was done in Boothbay, Friedman said.

And maybe somebody could make benches from granite from the Jay quarry, she added.

The restoration of the monument “needs to be done,” Friedman said.

“So far it’s all free,” she said. “Come Veterans Day that flag better be up … I’ve been waiting too many years.”

Friedman said she has been asking to have the monument improved for years.

Selectmen had the town’s Highway Department take down the trees that hid the flag. They also planned to discuss expanding the monument to include all branches of the service, as Friedman suggested.

Now World War I, Korea, Desert Storm, Vietnam and Iraq veterans have no monument honoring them in Jay. World War II veterans are honored at the Chisholm memorial.

Friedman said she saw no reason why the improvements could not be made.

“I’m sure we could get a lot of people involved,” she said.

Friedman volunteered to be on the committee to get the improvements done.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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