On a sunny, Sunday afternoon, the Veterans Honor Park of Lancaster County was dedicated and opened to the public. Six years of planning, fundraising and many hours of donated work came to fruition at the ceremony in Warwick Township, on June 9th, 2019.
Grant Hummer, President Emeritus, and Jason Best, RLA, represented ELA Group, Inc. at the ceremony. As the Warwick Township Engineer, Hummer has been involved with the park since its inception.
Several ELA Group employees donated time on various aspects of the park. George Smith III, P.E. prepared the stormwater analysis, Tyler Hill, P.E. prepared the erosion and sediment control plans, and Jason Best, RLA prepared the engineered site construction drawings based on hand-drawn sketches received from the designer, Bob Kornman.
The Kiltie Band of York and the New Holland Band played at the ceremony and Brigadier General David E. Wood, Army/Pennsylvania National Guard, gave the keynote address.
The idea for the park began in 2013 when then Warwick Township supervisor, C. David Kramer acted on a suggestion from a letter to the editor of the Lancaster Newspapers. The land for the park, 2.4 acres, was donated by Wayne Siegrist, in honor of his father Raymond F. Siegrist, a WWII Navy veteran.
Since that donation, many people and companies have given time, talent and funding to the project.
Situated adjacent to the Lititz Library, the park’s circular patio has columns for each of the five branches of the military. Many of the brick pavers in the patio are engraved with dedications to veterans and current military service people.
The Park’s website describes the intent of the park:
“It recognizes the selfless dedication of every Lancaster County man and woman who ever wore the uniform, and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Most importantly, it reminds everyone – especially young people – of the sacrifices others have made for their freedom.”