‘I can’t think of a better cause.’ Merced County war memorial slated for restoration

Damaged repeatedly with vandalism and graffiti over the years, Merced County’s war memorial in Courthouse Park is slated for a much-needed restoration.

County Supervisor Josh Pedrozo, whose District 2 encompasses the City of Merced, brought forward the memorial’s repair for consideration during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

The war memorial has been the target of vandalism on several occasions, at times leading to arrest and other times not. Although the memorial was cleaned, it’s never really been fixed up, Pedrozo noted.

“I think this project is overdue for a touch up. It’s incredibly important,” Pedrozo said at the meeting. The proposal was supported with a unanimous vote by the five-member board.

The restoration project will clean the Merced County Courthouse Park Memorial Wall and retouch the etched names that bear the title of Merced County’s fallen military men and women who served during wars and conflicts.

Pedrozo told the Sun-Star that he was made aware of how a cycle of vandalism and cleanup through the years degraded the memorial’s legibility when a county resident came to his office and brought the issue to the County Supervisor’s attention several months ago.

When he went out to the memorial to get a closer look himself, Pedrozo said he found the sight unsettling.

“It’s one of those things that you drive by all the time and you don’t pay attention until someone brings it your attention,” Pedrozo told the Sun-Star. “The thing that’s the most important to me is making sure you can see the names . . . of those who have given their lives.”

A left over balance of $6,000 from District 2’s special projects funds will pay to repair damage from several incidents of graffiti and graffiti abatement. Pedrozo said those funds should be enough to cover Merced County Public Works’ restoration project in its entirety.

“I can’t think of a better cause, especially with Veteran’s Day coming up,” said District 5 Supervisor Scott Silveira on Tuesday.

Pedrozo said he originally wanted the project to be ready by Veteran’s Day, but the logistics of the process caused the timing of the Board of Supervisors’ vote to be delayed until just before the holiday.

Pedrozo said he hopes the community will continue to respect the memorial without further vandalism long after the restoration project finishes.

“Veteran’s did a lot for us to live how we live and we honor them one day a year, when we should really honor them all the time,” he said.

Although the work has yet to start and the memorial’s cleanup won’t be done by Nov. 11, Merced County veterans and their loved ones can be assured this Veteran’s Day that beautification of the Merced County Courthouse Park Memorial Wall is on the horizon.