JEWETT — Organizers raising funds for a veterans’ memorial in the town are $5,000 away from their $20,000 goal, and they are looking forward to possibly having the structure built by the end of the year.
After raising $5,000 since January, the group, headed by Blue Mountain Excavating owner and Town Councilman John Giordano, received a $10,000 grant from the Greene County Legislature earlier this year. The planned monument will honor residents who served in the U.S. military dating back to the Revolutionary War, and 300 names are expected to be included on it.
“We are hoping to raise the money in three months and take six months to build it, dedicating it by the end of 2024,” Giordano said, who is not working on the monument as a town official.
The planned monument will honor town residents who served in the U.S. military dating back to the Revolutionary War, and 300 names are expected to be included on it.
“So far, we’ve raised $15,000,” said Gini Arturi, Giordano’s secretary. “We only need to raise about $5,000 more to finish paying off the stone. We’ve put about $11,000 or $12,000 down on the stone so far.”
Lawmaker Jim Thorington, R-Jewett, Ashland, Prattsville and Windham, secured the county’s $10,000 Wayne Speenburgh grant, in April, to help pay for the monument, Arturi said.
The monument will be similar to Cairo’s veterans’ memorial and will measure 50-by-7 feet, Giordano said.
The proposed monument will be placed near the town’s 9/11 memorial and the Old Glory Flag pole across Route 23C from the municipal hall.
The seeds for the memorial’s plan were planted by Jewett Town Judge Stephen Canfield a few years ago and the project has become closer to becoming a reality since Giordano took the lead.
“The idea came about two years ago when lifelong resident, veteran and Judge Stephen Canfield was doing his annual report and thought it was a good idea to do a plaque or monument for the veterans in Jewett,” Giordano said. “So, I kind of took the bull by the horns and led the drive.”
From generating funds, gathering price estimates for the monument, to putting together names of veterans dating back to the Revolutionary War, Giordano has prioritized the memorial for the community.
“We are working on funding now and Henderson’s Monuments in Catskill has given us the cheapest quote on a monument,” he said. “Finding the veterans in Jewett came from visiting cemeteries, visiting older generations and town records. We currently have over 280 names in Jewett that served in foreign wars since 1815.”
Jewett residents Susan Hitchcock Neugebauer and Craig DeLong, and Marc Farmilette, of Windham, have also shared information with Giordano, he said.
“It’s overwhelming the amount of community support we’ve been getting,” Arturi said.
Giordano has teamed up with veterans’ groups in the area, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1545 in Windham, to work on getting more donations.
Mark Farmilette, commander of the VFW Post 1545, has authorized donations for the monument to be processed through the Post. Farmilette will process the memorial’s donations, then give the Jewett’s Veterans Memorial Project a check for those donations once a month.
In addition to working with the VFW, Giordano has been working with Athens’ American Legion Post TGM 187 Commander Gordon Mosher to fundraise for the project.
“Gordon Mosher is raffling a sweatshirt that says ‘May We Never Forget’ and tickets are $1 each, six for $5 or 13 for $10,” Arturi said.
Giordano and his business are holding a fundraising Chili Cookoff from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. May 25, at VFW Post 1545 on Route 23 in Windham.
The cookoff will also include a silent auction. Donations for the silent auction are being accepted.
The chili cookoff dishes will be judged by Stumps Be Gone owner Tony Geslak, Jewett Town Clerk May Carl, and Town Councilman John Pumilia.
Prizes will be awarded for first-, second- and third-place winners. There is no entry fee for the chefs. Chili will be $2 a bowl at the event, and entrants can sign up at Blue Mountain Excavation, 11287 Route 23, Ashland.
“I can see this coming together,” Giordano said. “This is going to happen. Just talking about this monument gives me chill. It’s been an honor to do this for our local vets as a councilman.”
To donate to the veteran memorial, contact Giordano at Blue Mountain Excavation, 11287 NY-23, Ashland or VFW Post 1545, P.O. Box 598, Windham, New York, 12496.