City Commission discusses POW/MIA memorial, new recreation position
Michigan resident Doug Pickel has a vision. It's a plan that, if approved, would build a sweeping memorial dedicated to area prisoners of war and soldiers listed as missing in action.
He presented the new vision for a Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Memorial in Island Park Monday during the Mount Pleasant City Commission meeting.
Pickel said the goal of the memorial is to educate people about POW/MIA and provide a welcoming space for families. He is not looking for funding from the city, but rather permission to build the memorial in Island Park.
“What we want to do with this memorial is we want to make it that ... (it) honors all the Michigan residents who may have been taken prisoner of war,” Pickel said. “We want to tell their story.”
The memorial would consist of life-size statues to represent Michigan residents who have been
captured or missing in action, Pickel said. He said the project’s cost is estimated to be from $10 to $15 million, and he hopes to raise the funds in about five years.
“The whole idea of this is this is going to be a gift from the people of Michigan to the POW families of Michigan,” Pickel said. “We're not going after any government grants. People are going to know that this is a gift from every resident of this great state.”
City Commissioner Maureen Eke said she supports the project.
“It's important that we don't lose sight of history, that we don't forget the past,” she said. “I like the idea of having a memorial that emphasizes education and the implications of war.”
The commission didn’t take any official action but said they were interested in the project.
New recreation position in the city
Phil Biscorner, the director of Parks, Recreation and Public Spaces, led a presentation on holding events in the new Mount Pleasant Town Center.
“As we consider ways to activate the space, we recognize that not all groups want to use it the same way,” Biscorner said, explaining that some groups prefer to use the green space only, whole others prefer the adjacent roadway.
Biscorne also said the staffing is a challenge when it comes to activating the event space. He said the city has one special events person who is doing farmers market throughout summer.
City Manager Aaron Desentz proposed to reallocate the funding from the vacant downtown development director position into the recreation department. He said this would be a full-time position, focused on events and activities.
Desentz said the new position shouldn't interfere with work currently underway. He also said the reallocation is budget neutral.
“We can still identify and still engage in our economic development activities, and piece out the events portion, and dedicate more to the event side," Desentz said.
Desentz also said the reallocation is budget neutral.
In other events:
- Mount Pleasant City Commission administrated the oath of office to new Commissioner John Zang.
- Manuela Powidayko presented the 2024 Community Improvement Awards. Broadway Family Dentistry received the commercial category; and McGuire Family Investments LLC and Deborah Leasher and Bob Horan received the award in residential.
