Now since the Gazette has resoundingly come out against this scheme, the questions becomes, how did this idea formulate in anyone's mind? How many were involved? Was it just the president?

How could they possibly move the Civil War statue to the park?!!!

I hope Stehura is reading this. No real combat veteran would take his stance.

Localboy... yes, that was cold! There are families with generations of past soldiers! Great-great-great grandparents to the present day soldier. Many of these families are the backbone of our society today! I don't know (or care) what your background is, but these monuments MEAN SOMETHING. There was good reason to erect them in the first place. To honor and show gratitude and appreciation for their sacrifices.
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The places they chose to erect them are also important. We would be slapping these families in the face, if they are moved. There is history here. There are connections and memories grounded at these sites.
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YOU say "In a generation or two... no one will have a "sacred connection" to the spot at the corn exchange. You are so wrong on sooo many levels here. Perhaps you don't, but for many these monuments tie into a deeper understanding of a families' lineage. Who they are, where they came from, how their grandparents managed to get through these wars and how children look at their family tree.
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I have a deep respect for families that went through these experiences. THEY are my heroes. While my family has a little bit of exposure to war, other families are immersed in it, war histories that go back 150 years.
For these families, I would like to see the homage paid, be at these exact spots. As another said, it would be like digging up an entire cemetery. Its just plain wrong.

metromilton: You might actually be onto something with your comment ... Move all of the monuments to the exchange area. There will be plenty of parking once the city builds that parking ramp downtown.

Move Chase Bank to Traxler Park to make room for more memorials for current and future wars.

Why not move the "other" memorials to the downtown exchange?? There is plenty of downtown parking lot room that can be erased to support this.

What if the Jvill Mall wants to expand to the south?? Should they just move the cemetary to Traxler Park??? It's "just a memorial" you know....

Here is a comment from Sound Off in today's print edition of the Gazette:

"I'm imagining what a great world we'd have if Tom Stehura would stop trying to destroy the historic Corn Exchange by moving the monuments[.]"

The money they might spend to test the soil at Traxler will be wasted. That soil's no good for those monuments. That money should be used to buy stuff for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. And some free golf for DeGriz.

First, Traxler doesn't flood ALL THE TIME. It only floods once every 10-20 years. If that was the case, the buildings there would be in peril. Second, erect another memorial at Traxler. The die hards who believe that ground downtown is sacred can have theirs, and the all in one stop at Traxler can have theirs. In a generation or two (as cold as this sounds), no one will have a "sacred connection" to the spot at the corn exchange.

Leave them where they are and move the ones in Traxler park. Won't have to worry then about the flooding every year.

Leave the memorials where they are. They'll get flooded and covered in muck at Traxler.

Can I ask a favor? Can someone tell me backchannel or otherwise if there is a golf course that offers free golf to military on leave in the area. I seem to remember someone saying that there was, but I have no idea where it is if it exists. I'd like to go golf a couple times when I am home next month from here, and if I can go somewhere where it's free, why not? I'd appreciate the help and info.

Just so people know, I'll double check, but I'm pretty certain that we can't use any coupons here in Afghanistan like that. I believe that it would be more trouble than it's worth to try to use a coupon here. Lines are too long. The program mainly helps military families stationed in Europe with the high cost of living there, especially considering the difference between the Euro and the U.S. Dollar. Great program! Thanks!

Here is the address to send your coupons! They just hit 10 million!! It is a wonderful program, and helps the military families tremendously!!
Operation:coupons
9597 Jones Road PMB 367
Houston TX 77065

email operationcoupons@comcast.net if you need a copy of our guidelines.

No, I think the Janesville Patriotic Society has good intentions. I talked to them about moving the possibility of moving the Civil War Memorial in front of the courthouse down to Traxler years ago because of the same reasons I think they want to move the Corn Exchange memorials - consolidate them all in one place so that on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, eveyone can just gather at the same place. I changed my mind on that. I think they should leave them where they are because of what they contribute to the downtown area and because of the history involved, and if anything, add plaques to the central monument in Traxler as necessary or erect a separate monument. As others have said, the cost will probably be less or a wash.

People think outside the box! These GOD"s on the hill are just putting up a smoke screen,a ploy for some other pet project to put on this piece of land,or trying to deflect from their incompetence of spending tax payers money on that stupid ice joint. Vet's and others visit this site,and have been doing so for more years then any of these idiots in charge of this town has even been alive. They talk about how the down town needs more to draw people their to spend money.Seems to me this attraction brings people to do just that,i don't see any businesses at Traxler Park,nice place for them to get wrecked,just like the cave. Where are the brains of these people to even bring up a subject like this,starting to wonder if they even have one!!

I watched his presentation at the city council meeting. Stehura looked and sounded like he was under severe stress. Like he had serious doubts about what he was doing.

We are at war on at least two fronts. Be considerate of the troops.

Good idea, RummageSalesRocks, post the address.

Don't move the existing Memorials. If they really want a place for commemorating ALL veterans of war, just put up new ones at Traxler. I doubt it would cost any more money. Then, for those of us who really feel a connection with our existing Memorials, we can still visit them and worship or whatever we need to do.
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Those with no history to our existing memorials, I'm sure would appreciate the new ones at Traxler.
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Then, everybody is happy!

Just a little bit more info on what we can do for our troops, for those of you out there that coupon, they can use expired coupons, so when you go through yours and find expired ones you can send the to bases with commissaries (sp.) shopping centers. I can post the address if anyone is interested.

Leave the memorials alone.

Buy care packages for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq with the money. Where are your priorities?!

Appreciate the effort, but please leave the memorials right where they are.

janesvillian, thanks for the photo, didnt even know it was a park... what a loss

Absolutely NOT! Leave them where they are! That is part of their historical value, their location. All I can say is WHY? There's room enough for more than ONE memorial in this city, obviously, because there is more than one. Why do people always have to mess with things? Do they get bored? Do they get a high out of creating havoc? Just leave it alone! Maybe we should move Jesus' tomb while we're at it?!

Go ahead and move them; they will be appreciated and observed more at Traxler than their present location. The ground at the present site isn't hallowed or sacred; it is just dirt.

Oh my lets worry about something that really counts in janesville..Let"s get some jobs brought in to our town. A factory or two..Lets offer more from us and stop spending the money for stuff like this..Leave them where they are
they were put there for a reason.....what ever it was it was.........

That's true, it doesn't.

Sorry, it does not make sense.

I does not make sense to move the memorials from their current location to the wetland, I mean Traxler Park. Spend the money on something more productive.

I agree with hannah. The money could be put to better use. Like sending the things that take the edge off being in a combat zone a little bit. Care packages to the troops.

Wouldn't the people who donated the money prefer that our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq benefited from those donations?

Ouch!!! combatvet, "bored housewives rearranging the furniture." But you are correct, sir. And thank you for your service.

The people who want to do all this unnecessary moving do not represent all veterans. They are more representative of the bored housewife who needlessly rearranges the furniture.

They should keep the memorials where they are.

Steeber should flip all the switches in his head to on.

Hey, Janesvillean, thanks for the link to the image of the Corn Exchange. That was a nice look at the past.
I understand the thought of placing all the war and veteran monuments together. Those are with good intentions-so lets not bash the Patriotic Society. But, Lembrich has a good point of the permanence of a dedicated memorial. Lets think this through and take our time. There is no rush here. To the City Council: Great job in the discussion and with your questions!

Better idea. Move all the memorials up to Peace Park. Theres plenty of area for them, no flooding and good parking.

I've never understood why the Corn Exchange has been left to flounder during the 30 or so years I've watched one council after another decree that renovating the downtown was a top priority. Removing the memorials only adds to it's demise. The farmer's market should somehow be at the Corn Exchange.

no,they should stay- it is on historic site and it shouldnt be moved. to bad the waterfall isnt there anymore. instead of moving them MAYBE they should recreate the fountain there. you have all this other tons of money to spend how about think of something GOOD to spend it on.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Just leave 'em. It's not hurting one thing being there. Why move them to a flood area? It's just one more thing for the city council to spend tax payer money on.

As I've said, the city allowed the Corn Exchange to be destroyed as a public space when they sold the angled street to First National (now Chase) Bank for the drive-up wing. Ever since, I've considered the space embarrassing, because it looks like a landscaped corner of a parking lot instead of a public park. I would support moving it to Traxler for this reason.
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In any case, it was a public agricultural market long before it was a location for a patriotic monument.
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If the move happens, the city might want to consider a landscaping solution such as a raised dais of some sort, so that the monument would be accessible even when the ground is waterlogged. That would involve some expense, of course, but it's not clear whether we're just having a run of wet years, or whether the Rock River basin there is now permanently flood-prone for the foreseeable future.
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Here is a postcard looking at Corn Exchange "Square" roughly toward the northwest, about 100 years ago (so no doughboy):
http://www.hedbergpubliclibrary.org/case...