Memorial to receive a facelift

By Jim Johnson
Posted 10/24/19

A memorial to unknown soldiers at the Sharon Hill Cemetery in Kalona is being rebuilt.The Kalona City Council Monday night approved moving ahead now with the concrete work and will approve the actual …

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Memorial to receive a facelift

Posted

A memorial to unknown soldiers at the Sharon Hill Cemetery in Kalona is being rebuilt.

The Kalona City Council Monday night approved moving ahead now with the concrete work and will approve the actual memorial design and construction in the future.

City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said the existing memorial sustained damage during last winter and spring’s heavy snow and rains.

The planned new memorial will be “aesthetically more desirable,” Schlabaugh said.

The improvements will cost between $24,000 and $27,700, depending on the materials selected.

Current plans call for four black granite columns topped with granite cannonballs around a square plaza with the memorial. A second, smaller plaza will have a flagpole at its center.

The “footprint” of the planned memorial is similar to the existing one, but the design will make it stand out more in the cemetery. The plans show an area of about 35 feet by 25 feet.

Schlabaugh said many people don’t realize the current memorial to the unknown soldiers exists.

“This will be more recognizable,” he said.