Featured image: A groundbreaking ceremony will be held next week to begin construction of the Rainsville Veterans’ Memorial.
By Tyler Pruett
Managing Editor
RAINSVILLE, Ala. — Rainsville resident Derek Rosson first approached the city council on a project to build a Veterans’ Memorial at the public library around three years ago.
Derek, a marine veteran with two combat tours in Iraq, was inspired to build the memorial after seeing several others around the state and believed one would be an asset to the City of Rainsville.
After meeting with the city council, Rosson was informed that he needed to set up a 501.3c, and because of all the red tape involved, the project never took off.
Kayron Guffey, Chairperson of the Rainsville Beautification Committee, had heard that Rosson had previously pursued building a Veterans’ Memorial in the city. Right before Memorial Day this year, Guffey contacted Rosson to see why the project never materialized.
“I thought this would be a great project for the Beautification Committee and I enlisted Derek’s help.” Said Guffey, “So by the end of the week, we had the materials donated by local businesses.”
Funds for the project were also provided by the beautification board and the City of Rainsville. The labor will be provided by volunteers from the city who shared Rosson and Guffey’s dream of it’s own Veterans’ Memorial.
Rosson and Guffey plans to officially break ground on the project the first week of August at the Rainsville City Park. The tentative date for completion will be early November, with the dedication being held on Veterans’ Day of this year.
“We would like to thank everyone that has made this project possible,” said Rosson. “We hope this monument will be something that our citizens and local veterans will view with pride. We also would like to thank all the Veterans who served our country.”
To learn more about the Rainsville Veterans’ Memorial or for more information on how you can help, contact Rainsville City Hall at 256-638-6331.
