Stafford Armed Services Memorial Dedication

Company News | July 15, 2017

On July 15, 2017, Stafford County dedicated an armed services memorial to recognize local veterans. The dedication was attended by hundreds of people including more than 20 World War II veterans. Colleen Lamar, mother of a fallen veteran from Stafford, said that seeing the memorial completed made her feel “overwhelmed, happy, proud, and above all, honored.”

After losing a young member of the community in the war in Afghanistan, Stafford County wanted to honor him and their other local veterans by creating a meaningful and beautiful memorial to those who have served their country through the years. Starting with the board appointing an Armed Services Commission, a memorial design competition was held for county high school students, and five elements of those student designs were incorporating into the project. The work of a local artist is etched into the black granite behind a floating kugel fountain as a centerpiece of the new memorial.

The actual design and construction was accomplished through a design-build team led by Kline Memorials to develop the new facility at the Stafford County Government Center. Working with the landscape architect, Push Studios, AMT was added to the team to apply our local knowledge and experience to the civil engineering design and plan approvals.

AMT provided a site dimensional plan with accessible parking near the memorial entrance as well as a grading plan, an offsite utility plan that details the Memorial’s connection to offsite water and electric utilities, erosion sediment and control plan, irrigation plan, and a stormwater management plan, along with supporting engineering calculations.

Stormwater management was accommodated by expanding and improving a regional detention pond that is adjacent to the memorial site, for which AMT is also providing design solutions and support to Stafford County. Aesthetic appeal and views from the memorial were important considerations as well as improving local water quality and helping to meet the county’s MS4 program goals.

For veterans, their families and others who are honored by this memorial, you can find more details about the project or about how to donate to the continued fundraising efforts at: http://staffordarmedservicesmemorial.weebly.com/