City of Dearborn moving iconic veteran memorial

DEARBORN, Mich. (WJBK) - An iconic fountain in the City of Dearborn is being demolished to make way for a memorial to honor men and women who have served in the armed forces.

The city council approved a new veteran park war memorial slated to be finished in time for the city's Memorial Day parade.

The current site of the memorial is at Michigan Avenue and Schafer Highway, and will be moved to a new park.

"We wanted to see what else we could do to make a really significant park that's in front of this very significant building that would celebrate our veterans, as well as provide a space that can be used for some other activities," said Barry Murray, director of economic and community development of the City of Dearborn.

Sean Green, who served his country in the Persian Gulf War, said the project is more than a memorial.

"We want memorial to be used as an educational tool and not just a remembrance tool for the kids of today and tomorrow to understand that there is a consequence when we go to war," Green said.

Some said the iconic fountain should have remained in place but city officials said it was too costly to maintain.

"It hasn't worked for many years," Murray said. "I think when it worked it was beautiful but it's a very expensive fountain to maintain."

Murray said the city plans to reuse the marble from the old fountain to build benches for the park.

"We're very proud of this new memorial. We're taking it from a hidden corner, where it's at now, and putting it in the limelight so the City of Dearborn can celebrate veterans and the memorial as a whole," Green said.