It's been called impressive, bizarre and a potential traffic hazard, but the Tempe City Council has given its approval for the new Veterans Memorial at the planned Downtown Transportation Center, set to open in 2007.
The council approved plans for the memorial at the Issue Review Session Thursday, giving the Ad-Hoc Veterans Committee the go-ahead to begin raising funds for the $900,000 project.
The memorial is planned for a new Downtown Transportation Center that will be located at the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Veterans Way between the Tempe Police and Courts Building and the ASU football stadium.
The memorial's proposed design, created by local architect Chris Kelly, has been somewhat controversial. The plan is for a 32-foot structure consisting of five stainless steel panels, one representing each branch of the military -- the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.
The panels will surround a suspended 8-foot-long crystal that is meant to represent "the spirit and virtues of the United States of America," according to the City of Tempe Web site, www.tempe.gov.
Bill Butler, a Tempe resident, told the council at the review session his brother died while serving in the Army during World War II.
"This is not a memorial to my brother," he said. "I think a simple plaque would have been a heck of a lot more effective."
City staff said they received 47 comments on the monument through community booths, e-mails and the city Web site. Ten comments were negative, mainly due to the abstract design of the memorial.
Councilman Ben Arredondo said he chose the Downtown Transportation Center for the site of the memorial because it will be a major transit hub. Arredondo also led Stadium Drive's name change -- now called Veterans Way -- a year ago.
"This way, ASU and the Tempe community have a symbolic place to remember the nation's veterans," Arredondo said.
The council worked out a tentative financing plan at the session agreeing to use $50,000 from the general contingency fund and another $50,000 from an art fund for Tempe transportation projects. The council agreed to request permission from the city's Municipal Arts Commission to use another $600,000 from the same art fund.
Mayor Hugh Hallman suggested the city ask the Town Lake Foundation to raise the remaining $200,000 along with current fundraising projects.
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
