James Rada, Jr.
The Emmitsburg Commissioners voted on a spending limit of $40,000 to make repairs to the Doughboy statue and to build a new pedestal for it during the December 8, 2015, town meeting.
The historic statue, which remembers Emmitsburg’s WWI Veterans, was damaged when it was struck by a car in June.
Two bids were received to perform the needed repair work. One contractor specialized in memorials more than statues, while the second bidder had the experience to perform the work needed on the statue.
Although the town will have to allocate the money for repairs initially, it is expecting to be reimbursed about half the costs by the insurance company of the driver that crashed into the statue.
Town Manager Dave Haller sought the spending limit on repairs so that a contract could be signed to start the repairs.
Once started, it will probably take about six months to complete. The monument was lightly damaged, although it will need to have some seams fixed and sealed. The pedestal will be rebuilt. This is what will take the most time because stone will need to be quarried to use in the reconstruction. The foundation will also need to be replaced.
The existing plaque with all of the names of Emmitsburg’s WWI Veterans on it, will also be repaired and mounted on the new pedestal. Because the plaque separates the names of the African American servicemen from the Caucasian ones, it caused some controversy after the accident, with some residents calling it racist. At one point, it was discussed that perhaps a new plaque should be made.
This idea met with overwhelming opposition with local Veterans, including African American ones.
“The existing plaque will remain,” Haller said.
The Veterans also opposed the idea floated about moving the statue to a new location.
The commissioners have reserved the option of possibly adding a second plaque, either to the pedestal or next to it. This plaque would try to explain the reason why the black soldiers’ names are separate from the white soldiers’ names.
The commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the spending limit, with Commissioner Joe Ritz, III, absent.
