Veterans memorial online site design progressing

The Holcombe Area Veterans Memorial’s online presence is growing, as reported during a planning committee meeting Dec. 17.

Jim Mataczynski, committee chairperson, reported he and Dave Conrad, committee member, got a sneak peek of the new website design for the memorial. He says web designer Andy Strom is doing a great job with the design process.

Mataczynski says many of the pictures featured on the website are generic, for the time being, until they are able to get more pictures of the memorial to Strom.

Conrad says information on legacy stones and the requirements for being listed on the stone tablets, will be available to view on the website.

The website will be linked from the Town of Lake Holcombe’s website, once it is completed and live.

“This is pretty exciting, right here,” said Mataczynski.

The group’s Facebook page is also garnering attention, as Mataczynski posts updates at least once per month.

“Quite a few legacy stones came in off of Facebook already and just word of mouth, too,” said Mataczynski.

The memorial also has a new email address, holcombeareaverteransmemorial@ gmail.com.

The committee members also looked at a draft of a donation request letter, which will be sent to businesses after it is approved. Conrad says he would like the salutation to be personalized for each business and Mataczynski to sign the letters before they are sent.

Mataczynski says the committee has also begun setting up meetings with townships in the Lake Holcombe School District, to begin discussing donations ahead of voter meetings in the spring. He says the reason they are going to the town boards now, is to plant the seed and keep the municipalities informed of what is going on in the community.

“It’s really a community project,” said Mataczynski. “This is not the Town of Lake Holcombe’s project. This is seven townships in two counties.”

He says it will take everyone working together to bring the memorial to fruition.

Members also talked about grant applications. Mataczynski says they need to show what Holcombe has to offer and put in the work, before money will start coming the group’s way.

“There’s money out there, we just have to find it,” said Rick Mitchell, committee member.

Mataczynski says he would like someone to step up and write grant applications, and encouraged everyone to reach out to community members they think would be willing to help.