https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/Conroe-council-hears-emotional-appeal-for-funds-11746262.php
Conroe council hears emotional appeal for funds to help build veterans park
By John S. Marshall, jmarshall@hcnonline.com
Conroe City Councilman Duke Coon speaks during the city council meeting on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, at Conroe City Hall.
Photo: Michael Minasi, Staff Photographer
Members of the Conroe City Council are considering a powerful and emotional appeal from the head of a group working on developing a new veterans memorial park.
During the council's workshop session Wednesday, Jimmie Edwards, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and chairman of the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park, as well as the former county judge and state representative, asked the council to consider matching a pledge of $105,000 contribution from Montgomery County.
The memorial, when completed, would pay tribute to veterans who have served and those currently serving.
"The memorial, which will be a quiet, silent somber place, because it will have the names of 166 dead soldiers in it," Edwards said in describing to the council a section of the planned memorial.
In a resolution earlier this year, the City Council moved to recognize Edwards and his commission, while also determining the park would be near the Montgomery County Library and the Lone Star Memorial on either city property or donated land.
Because the matter was in workshop and not part of the City Council's agenda, council members did not vote on the matter, but they universally voiced their support for the memorial.
"It sure means a lot to us to see this project moving forward. I think we speak for all the veterans, not only Montgomery County, but around Southeast Texas," said Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon, who also serves as a director on the group's board.
"My sentiments go exactly as Duke's," said Councilman Gil Snider, himself a Marine veteran, while Councilman Duane Ham said he is "elated" about the project. Mayor Toby Powell and the rest of the council also offered positive comments about the memorial.
In other matters, the council heard a presentation on Conroe's proposed budget for Montgomery County Emergency Communications, an item City Administrator Paul Virgadamo described as a "routine matter" that goes before cities and counties every year. The district, which provides the 911 system for the area, receives funding from municipalities that participate in the system. Conroe's share is expected to increase by 5.2 percent for the coming year as the system adds more personnel and makes capital improvements.
The council also briefly discussed the city's first responder agreement with the Montgomery County Hospital District, another routine matter that would renew an existing agreement.
The council then went into a closed executive session where council members privately discussed the city's lawsuit against the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District and litigation involving the San Jacinto River Authority.
The City Council meets again at 6 p.m. Thursday with discussion expected to be focused on the city's budget for the upcoming fiscal year.