Tercentennial Committee Continues To Pursue Memorial

By Nancy K. Crevier

In an attempt to resolve the final action of the Tercentennial Committee, committee members met October 4 to discuss the design for a tercentennial memorial.

The committee had voted earlier in the year to consider the erection of a monument or other permanent memorial to commemorate the celebration in 2005 of Newtown’s Tercentennial. At a previous meeting, the committee had viewed a proposal put together by committee member Brigette Sorensen, a local artist, for an enhancement of the outer entry area to Edmond Town Hall.

This proposal would involve replacement of the wooden benches with engraved granite benches on either side of the entry plaza to the town hall, the placement of a paver engraved with the tercentennial logo located centrally in the walkway, and landscaping to accommodate and improve the new benches and surrounding area.

“I think this design satisfies leaving that memorial [that the committee discussed] that signifies the tercentennial year,” said Ms Sorensen.

Wednesday’s discussions centered once more around this proposal, with several other visions being put forth for consideration. After 40 minutes of debate with no resolution as to the design of the project, the committee resolved that the concept design for a tercentennial memorial would be located in front of Edmond Town Hall. The discussion on the design was tabled at that point, with agreement that Ms Sorensen and committee member Dan Cruson would meet with the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers in mid-October and that a final design concept, with revised costs, would be presented at that time.

In further action, the committee set a date in December for the dissolution of the Tercentennial Committee. According to its charter, the committee cannot exist beyond December 2006.

Any remaining inventory from fundraising for the tercentennial celebrations must be sold prior to that date. The committee voted that any remaining copies of the books would be donated to the Newtown Historical Society and the C.H. Booth Library after December. Copies of the commemorative coffee table book Newtown: 300 and the collection of essays about Newtown, A Mosaic of Newtown History, by Dan Cruson, are still available through the Newtown Historical Society or at C.H. Booth Library.