Community Corner

Route 59 War Memorial to Get New Home

The 18,000-pound structure could move to Plainfield's Settlers' Park by Memorial Day.

A monument to Plainfield soldiers could soon be on the move.

Last week, attorney and former Plainfield Township Supervisor John Argoudelis brought a plan before the village board to relocate the War Memorial from its current spot on Route 59 south of Main Street to Settlers’ Park.

Argoudelis said the heavy traffic at the monument’s current location doesn’t allow for it to be used for ceremonies such as Veterans Day and Memorial Day commemorations.

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  • Last week, village trustees voiced support for moving the monument, which reads, “A memorial to the men and women of this community who served in the wars of our country.”

    Trustee Jim Racich said Settlers’ Park is the perfect location for the monument.

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    “I view Settlers’ Park as the jewel of this community,” he said, adding of the monument’s current location, “That war memorial will be taken out by a semi one day. It’s totally isolated, totally forgotten.”

    The structure, made by the same company behind the Soldier’s Memorial that stands in Settlers’ Park, has been at its current site since 1957, according to Argoudelis.

    Argoudelis said he first became involved in plans to move the 18,000-pound granite monument several years ago, when he represented a developer looking to build a store south of the Walgreens at Route 59 and Main Street.

    At the time, Argoudelis said he approached members of the Plainfield American Legion post, who were overwhelmingly in support of moving the monument.

    The developer’s project never materialized, but Argoudelis said he wanted to make good on his promise to American Legion members.

    “The developer went away, and the whole thing fell by the wayside,” he said. But, Argoudelis said, “We made a promise to the American Legion to follow through on it.”

    Trustee Paul Fay questioned Argoudelis as to whether his ultimate goal is a "business transaction" for the site, but Argoudelis said he no longer represents the developer.

    The plans call for moving the structure, which is held up by gravity alone, from Route 59 to Settlers’ Park, where it would sit across from the Soldier’s Monument. Argoudelis said Donna and Bob Stevenson, owners of Stevenson Crane in Bolingbrook, have offered to move the War Memorial for free.

    The triangle of property where the monument currently sits was deeded to the Plainfield Park District by Plainfield Township for the purposes of installing the memorial back in the 1950s. "I think that once the war memorial is removed, Plainfield Township could claim the land back since it is no longer being used as a war memorial," said Argoudelis.

    Argoudelis — who got the green light to move forward with the project at an Oct. 28 village committee meeting — said architect Cliff Bender has volunteered his services to design the monument’s new site.

    Plainfield Police Cmdr. Kevin Greco, who was instrumental in moving the Soldier’s Monument back to Plainfield in 2006, is also helping with the project, Argoudelis said.

    Read about efforts to move the Soldier’s Memorial

    Back in 2012, the village estimated the cost of moving the monument at around $120,000 — but Argoudelis said he thinks it can be done for far less.

    “I don’t know where that estimate came from,” he said, adding he believes it can be relocated for $25,000 to $50,000.

    The project will be funded through donations, Argoudelis said, although fundraising has not yet begun.

    “We have no doubts that our community will be responsive once we have a final number,” he said. Argoudelis said he hopes to have final cost estimates for the project, including a concrete base and brick pavers, by the spring.

    The triangle lot where the monument currently sits would also have to be refinished to eliminate the hole left by the granite structure.

    “Our goal is to be done by Memorial Day,” said Argoudelis, so that the monument can be part of the village’s annual commemoration at Settlers’ Park.

    Trustees Dan Rippy, Margie Bonuchi Garrett Peck and Bill Lamb also said they supported the project.

    “[Settlers’ Park] is where it belongs,” Bonuchi said.

    “We’re all supportive if it’s a reasonable cost and you find someone to pay for it,” Lamb said.

    “I think it looks really nice [at Setters’ Park] and this just adds to the property,” Mayor Mike Collins said.


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