Scout spreading dream of Norris Park war monument

Trenton Klimper hopes to build a war memorial for his Eagle Scout project. (Lorri Sughroue/McCook Daily Gazette) [Click to enlarge]

While some teenagers are relishing the lazy days of summer, 14-year old Trenton Klimper of McCook is keeping busy meeting community leaders and giving presentations to local organizations.

A self-professed history buff, Klimper is trying to get enough donations and input to construct a war memorial in Norris Park as his Eagle Scout project.

Since the McCook City Council gave its preliminary approval May 18, Klimper has been checking out costs and types of a memorial and gathering opinions from various community individuals, from artists to business people.

He's getting an enthusiastic response from the community so far, something he found surprising.

"I expected a few people to be passionate about it, but didn't expect this much," he admitted.

A fiberglass sculpture of World War I soldier has been offered by the Museum of the High Plains and a significant donation from the local VFW has also been promised.

Total costs have climbed up to $10,000 but the price tag hasn't deterred Klimper. He's adamant that the structure be sturdy and vandalism-proof so it will last for future generations and is already planning another round of meetings in July with local businesses and organizations for contributions.

Klimper plans for the memorial to be in the center of Norris Park, inside a concrete circular area in front of the flag, where a former war memorial used to stand.

Using criteria such as artistic standpoint, durability/maintenance and feasibility, he has narrowed down his choices to three options: a five-pointed star made of granite, with the various military branches in each point and an appropriate inscription in the center; a bronze sculpture by Sondra Johnson or the fiberglass figure donated by the museum and created by Cambridge sculptor Gary Ginther.

The memorial will also have room to recognize significant contributors, either on the back or on the base.

A prototype of each of the three proposals will be created and ranked by an evaluation team that includes his scout master, members of the community and of the VFW. He'll then take the highest ranking proposal to the next McCook Parks Advisory meeting and from there, to the McCook City Council for its approval.

Despite all the work, he's excited about the project and confident that it will be competed by Heritage Days in September, when it will be dedicated.

"I didn't think it would take so many meetings and money," he said. "But I'm up for it."