“making history right”

for the SULLIVAN COUNTY SOLDIERS & SAILORS MONUMENT

Date: April 15, 2010

To: Board of Trustees, Mayor, Manager, Clerk, Attorney
From: Tom Rue
Re: Proposed monument repair and landscaping

At a meeting of the Sullivan County Legislature's Committee on Veterans' Affairs on

April 15, 2010, and subsequently at a meeting of the Sullivan County Veterans'
Coalition on the same date. Speaking to Frank Armstrong, chair of the Veterans'
Affairs Committee and later to the Coalition, I explained the purpose of the intended
project and answered questions. I distributed a written description entitled "Sullivan
County Soldiers and Sailors Monument" (attached) and a letter of support for the
effort from Sullivan County Historian John Conway (attached).

The veterans expressed support for the proposed project. Objectives of my presentation were threefold:

• To seek support of the County and local veterans' organizations;

• To identify an existing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization willing to sponsor the project and
hold financial contributions in a dedicated bank account;
• To ask the County for a Certificate of Insurance naming the Village of Monticello as an additional
insured for the purpose of repairing the monument;
• To welcome any addition support of which the County and Coalition are able to provide.

The matter was temporarily tabled to allow the Vice-Chairman to consult with the Chairman of the
Coalition, who was not present. Mr. Armstrong promised to move the matter along as quickly as possible at
the County level, and to serve as an initial communication conduit. It is fair to say that the response of both
the Legislature Committee and the Coalition are supportive and will be in touch. Mr. Armstrong expressed
the belief that it would be quite feasible to accomplish this entire project, with the support of the Coalition,
before the end of this summer.

It was also suggested that the proposal sounded like an ideal project to receive grant funding from the
Sullivan Renaissance. I replied that I was not prepared to request donations of money from any source
until I had a place to put it pending completion of the repairs. I have a call in to Sullivan Renaissance to
discuss eligibility of this project to be funded for this summer.

The target amount will be $3,000 to $4,000, both to have a professional monument builder use a crane to
turn the pedestal and base, and to freshly landscape of the park. Poppies (symbolic of peace and
remembrance) will be sought in large numbers. Committed volunteers, most of whom either work or do
business in the Village of Monticello, invite additional help from residents, businesses, and from Village
officials interested in donating either funds or landscaping labor, at a date that is yet to be determined.

Because the statue resides in a park owned by the Village of Monticello, support of the Board of Trustees
is requested to remedy an error that occurred 38 years ago when the monument was moved as part of
Urban Renewal alterations to the northwest sector of the Village; paying proper respect to American
soldiers who died defending the Union and to banish the evil of slavery from the United States of America.

A resolution approving the above described project, contingent on there being no monetary cost to
the Village of Monticello, is requested from the Board of Trustees.

Phone: (845) 323-9612

PO BOX 706 | 27 fisk avenue
MONTICELLO, New york 12701
HISTORY.TOMRUE.NET | TOMRUE@GMAIL.COM