A Plea to Cancel the Sale of Victory Park

Saturday’s edition of the Morning Journal included an article that attempted to clarify why Lorain wants to sell Victory Park, the park containing the city’s memorial to all of the soldiers who fought and died in World War I.

The explanation actually makes the whole proposal sound even worse, and confirms my original belief that the sale of the park needs to be cancelled.

The veterans group, whose name had not been revealed in coverage by either of Lorain County’s daily newspapers up to that point, is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Louis Paul Proy Chapter 20, which is located next door to the park.

The Journal article attempts to convince the reader that the DAV isn’t the bad guy here. 

It quotes Ray Kershaw, adjutant and treasurer of Proy Chapter 20, as pointing out that they originally bought the property next to the park because, “We wanted to have some green space next to us, keep the corner all veteran-oriented if we could.”

The article also notes, "Kershaw said the large "V" memorial and the Victory statue, which depicts the Greek goddess Nike bearing a sword and a palm frond, were not part of any deals to be made on the land and that the “Big V" will stay where it’s at no matter what."

“We did not want to buy the property with the (Victory statue) on it, because it’s city property and a memorial to World War I vets,” he said.

Why sell the park to the DAV then? They don’t want to buy the statue; they want the property to remain a green space; and they want the corner wedge-shaped land to remain ‘all veteran-oriented.’

So keep the park as it is, and the Big V and the statue will stay where they’re at, “no matter what.”

Especially if the Proy Chapter 20 ever goes out of business. It happens.

But Lorain city officials saw the Proy Chapter’s interest in the property as a way to get rid of a park so that they city wouldn’t have to maintain it. 

The Journal article quoted Safety-Service Director Dan Given. “The city’s position is that we own hundreds of parcels all over that we’ve acquired over time," Given said. "Why are we sitting on these things, maintaining them, cleaning up junk when we can actually make it productive?”

My answer to that is: Why does a park that is practically sacred land have to be productive? A memorial park is supposed to be a place where citizens can come and contemplate what is being honored.

It’s embarrassing that a city of Lorain’s size is so eager to save money that it would sell what is arguably one of its most important parks – and one of its smallest and easiest to maintain.

Perhaps the most ridiculous comments from the Journal article belong to Phil Dore, Lorain’s deputy safety-service director and the Mayor’s chief of staff. In attempting to justify the proposed sale, he pointed out that the city “went out of its way to ensure the property had no historical significance for WWI.”

“It just so happened, that whoever funded the statue, put it there,” Dore said.

Well, yes, I don’t think that the V-shaped property was a WWI battlefield or anything. What kind of historical significance were they expecting to find?

And as to the identity of “whoever funded the statue," let’s consult the Lorain Times-Herald of April 7, 1922, the day after the dedication. It notes, “Yesterday’s memorial was erected by the city at a cost of $6,000. It was made possible largely through the untiring efforts of Service Director Snell and former Councilman John J. Baird.”

And by the way, the same article noted that “Mayor William F. Grall arose from a sick bed to be present while thousands trudged from all sections of the city to witness the birth of that which is the personification of liberty, equality and honor.”

Ninety-six years later, Lorain’s Mayor Ritenauer is on board with the sale of the park as long as it doesn’t result in a “nasty storm,” and Lorain’s Safety-Service Director Given regards the park as an unproductive parcel. 

How times have changed.

Lorain: please don’t sell the park. Maintain it proudly. It’s the right thing to do.

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UPDATE (November 12, 2018)
It was great to read in the Chronicle-Telegram (here) that a plan is now in place for the Lorain Port Authority to take control of Victory Park pending approval of Lorain City Council. The city would make improvements to the sidewalks and right-of-way, and the Big V and statue would remain in place.

Congratulations to Mayor Ritenauer, the Lorain Port Authority and everyone involved in this proposal for making this a Happy Veterans Day indeed.