Pittsfield Veterans Half Way to Monument Restoration Goal
 Veterans raising funds to restore the Civil War Monument say they are half way to their goal. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A group of local servicemen who have banded together to restore the city's decayed Civil War monument have raised over half the funds for the work needed.
"We're over half way to the restoration to be put out to bid," VFW Post 448 Commander Arnold Perras who is chairing the group told the City Council on Tuesday.
Since forming in December, the volunteer committee of more than a dozen veterans has secured significant donations from Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Greylock Federal Credit Union and Berkshire Bank, as well as over 100 other individual and business donors.
The group's goal has been to raise $15,000 for the restoration itself, and then an additional $15,000 to put aside for the city to continue maintaining it.
Perras said the initial goal estimate for this latter fund may have been too conservative, but if the project continued to have its current fundraising momentum they hope to establish a larger reserve to provide for its care.
"If we continue on that path the way we are now with the contributions, hopefully we can get the perpetual care to maintain it for the future," said Perras. "We'd hate to see it go another 140 years before we look at it again to be restored."
The monument, depicting a Civil War color sergeant bearing the Union flag, was erected in 1872 by a volunteer committee of well-known Pittsfield citizens. The pedestal includes a plaque listing the 52 Pittsfield residents killed in the war. The sculptor, Launt Thompson, also created the statue of General Winfield Scott at the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C., and the General John Sedgwick Monument at West Point.
A similar, though more expensive, restoration effort was carried out in 2010 at the Veterans Memorial off South Street, built in 1926 to commemorate the city's Word War I veterans.
In addition to other efforts, Perras said the group is planning a spaghetti dinner for June 20. Donations can also be sent directly via the Veteran Affairs Office to Civil War Memorial Fund, Room 111, City Hall, 70 Allen St., Pittsfield, 01201.
Tags: civil war, monument, park square, restoration, veterans memorial,
