By Fay Abrahamsson, Courier Senior Staff
Writer:
An anonymous reader
of the Courier wrote us specifically asking “What’s the story with…?” the
Vietnam Memorial on the Guilford Green.
In the letter, the
reader wrote, “The Green is always kept very beautiful and new trees are even
being planted. But our Vietnam Memorial appears to have been abandoned, and is
overgrown with weeds. And there is a “pooper scooper” dispenser in front of it!
This is very insulting to the three young Guilford
men who gave their lives in Vietnam.”
We asked Guilford
Green Committee Chairman Doug Williamson what the situation was with the
memorial, which did appear to have old shrubbery ripped out around its base.
Williamson said that
indeed, there had apparently been some shrubs planted around the memorial. He
understands why someone may have planted a special shrub at the base of the
stone, but nonetheless, doing so was in violation of the rules of the Green.
Williamson noted that he checked with Larry Santamaria, commander of Guilford’s VFW Post 7666,
prior to the removal of the shrubs, believed to be bleeding hearts.
“Instruction was
given to the Park & Recreation Department to remove the shrubs,” said
Williamson, who said he and his committee meet regularly with the department
over the care of the Green. “They take particular care of the Green and will
re-seed the area.”
As to the
“pooper-scooper” dispenser, Williamson said the only reason the dispenser is on
the other side of the walkway near the memorial is because it made sense to
have it near the entrance of the northwest corner of the Green, where people
would enter and walk their dogs. There are other dispensers on the
Green–located at about the same spot as this one–as one enters a corner of the
Green.
“The dispenser
obviously has nothing to do with the memorial,” Williams explained.
Pictured: A reader of
the Courier questioned why the Vietnam Memorial on the green looked in
disarray.
Photo by Fay
Abrahamsson