FARMINGTON – Drenching rain Wednesday morning didn’t stop a few hearty souls from completing one more step in a project planned for Meetinghouse Park.

Three granite benches, donated by Cole Land Transportation Museum of Bangor, were placed in the park through the efforts of the American Legion family of Roderick-Crosby Post 28.

Auxiliary and Legion Rider member Pam H. Poisson received an e-mailed Legion newsletter earlier this spring that included an offer from Coles Land Transportation Museum in Bangor for two benches to be donated to any town that wanted one.

“I knew the perfect place,” she said.

And so began the project that will be completed as soon as the weather clears, said Charles Bennett, past post commander and current district commander, who assisted Poisson with technical advice, built the forms for the concrete bases and picked up the benches in Bangor on Tuesday.

Poisson said she took pictures of Meetinghouse Park with the large, brick courthouse located just across Main Street. She presented her proposed project to the Legion and Auxiliary and then to the Board of Selectmen, which approved it.

While the original plan included two benches, Poisson thought a third bench located near the World War II honor roll would be nice both for those who wish to sit and remember the names listed and those who attend Monday night Old Crow Band concerts. She called Coles to inquire about the price of a bench and was told to go ahead and plan on it.

“The bench is situated so that you can see the names on the roll or look down the Main Street into town,” said Town Manager Richard Davis Wednesday while the benches were being unloaded.

Davis, who helped Poisson decide on a location, said the three benches were donated with really no cost to the town. The Farmington Highway Department prepared the bases and supplied crushed rock, but on time when they would have already been working Davis said.

The other benches are located at the walkway to the new memorial that honors the veterans from Vietnam and subsequent wars.

Concrete for the bases was donated by USA Concrete of Phillips and other materials by Hammond Lumber Co., Poisson said. Complimentary refreshments were donated by Farmington Coca-Cola and Subway, she said.

Wiles Funeral Home helped deliver the benches to the park where they were placed on blocks until the weather clears and they can be set and glued to their bases.

The 800-pound benches measure 6 feet long by nearly 2 feet wide and are cut from Maine Freshwater Pearl granite from Mosquito Mountain in Frankfort, Maine, Poisson said.

They were sent to Guernsey Monuments where they are engraved with “In Memory of All Veterans.” Each has the Cole logo and either, “All Gave Some, Some Gave All” or “Freedom is Not Free” engraved. The benches take 10 hours to create and 4 hours to engrave.

Cole made the benches available to Maine communities who want to build their memorials or add to existing ones, Poisson said. They have made numerous donations of thermal imaging cameras for fire departments and walking sticks for World War II veterans.

They have donated 75 benches this year, she said, but have said they will only give 25 next year, Poisson said.