A tribute to San Benito County’s war veterans will soon have a
new look in front of the Veterans Memorial Building.
A tribute to San Benito County’s war veterans will soon have a new look in front of the Veterans Memorial Building.
Outlining the base of the two existing monuments in front of the building, which is undergoing renovation, will be 1,000 commemorative black granite paver tiles engraved with the names of the county’s deceased veterans.
The 6-by-12-inch tiles will have a space for three engraved lines of text. The tiles are strictly for veterans who live in the county or deceased veterans from San Benito County families.
“The idea took off early on when the (Veterans Building) renovation project was still in the planning phase,” said Charlie Scott, commander of Hollister Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9242. “Since everything was being torn out in front of the building, this was an opportunity to present the idea to the City Council.”
A few weeks ago the Council approved spending $96,000 for the installation, engraving and maintenance of the tiles and for administrative fees. However, Scott said the VFW will manage the commemorative program.
Scott said the community has shown a lot of interest in the program.
“The word is getting out and we expect to see a good run,” he said. “We think this is a great program for families who want to honor their deceased veteran.”
Each tile will cost $100, of which $8 will be held in a trust account for ongoing maintenance of the memorial. The rest will go back to the city.
“The checks are to be made out to the city because they need to recoup their costs,” Scott said. “They put the money up front because the tiles have to be done.”
Order forms will be available at City Hall, the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce and San Juan Bautista Chamber of Commerce. Orders received by March 29 will have tiles completed in time for the re-dedication of the Veterans Building, Scott said.
After the building re-opens, the tiles will be engraved on a quarterly basis and with a minimum of 10 tiles in the order.
“We have to do it this way to keep the cost down,” Scott said.
Checks or money orders must be made out to the city of Hollister Veterans Tile Fund. For more information, call Charlie Scott at 638-0928.
