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Boardman breaks ground on safety services memorial
Nearly $60K raised for safety-services project
boardman
Township leaders broke ground on the Boardman Safety Services Memorial at the fire station Wednesday morning after raising nearly $60,000 for the project in the past year.
The structure symbolizes the extent to which the idea mobilized the community.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community during the fundraising efforts to now bring this memorial to reality,” fire Chief Mark Pitzer said at Wednesday’s ceremony.
Present at the groundbreaking was a group of Boardman fifth-graders who spearheaded a fundraising effort and raised $150.
Matthew Steiner, one of those students, said he helped sell T-shirts at the fire station.
Steiner’s dad is a firefighter, so the cause is uniquely important to him.
“I am honored to have him serve our community and help out with all the fires and fallen-down trees and broken power lines,” Matthew said.
Multiple Boardman businesses also have donated materials for the monument.
OT Beight and Sons and Daughter donated granite for the memorial’s pillars.
Signature Granite donated six granite benches to be placed at the memorial site.
The name of Boardman police officer Heather Dobbins will be etched on one of the benches, said police Chief Todd Werth. Dobbins, 40, died suddenly at Cleveland Clinic in January after serving the department for 16 years.
Capture Moments has provided a design for the monument’s pillars.
An American flag was donated by Boardman Poland Junior Women’s League, and Boardman Kiwanis Club donated a flag pole.
The design for the monument includes two pillars, a wall flanking each pillar and benches facing the structures.
Police officers, firefighters and paramedics are “there to protect us even when we don’t know they’re there. And [the memorial] represents that. This will always be here, just like them,” said Trustee Larry Moliterno.
The campaign still has about $15,000 left to raise. To donate or learn more, visit www.safetyservicesmemorial.com.