Photo by Deb Gau Last week, Marc Klaith talked about the construction of the veterans’ memorial, and pointed out where a memorial wall will be built on the site, near First Street.

MARSHALL — It’s a project that’s been a long time coming, but the progress toward a veterans’ memorial in downtown Marshall has really picked up this summer. Concrete pavement has been poured and flagpoles are in place, and memorial organizers say some of the next big steps in the plan include installing sculptures honoring members of different branches of the military.

The arrival of the statues is “probably about six weeks out,” said Marshall Parks Superintendent Preston Stensrud.

“It’s good to see it start moving forward,” Stensrud said of the memorial construction. Bruce Knieff, one of the area community members who has worked to plan and fundraise for the memorial, said the whole process has taken around five or six years.

Supporters of the memorial project met at the construction site in Memorial Park on Friday to accept a pair of contributions from the Marshall VFW post. They also gave updates on the memorial’s progress. The veterans’ memorial is the final planned phase of development in Memorial Park. The memorial is located on the southern side of the park, near the intersection of Main Street and First Street.

Right now, the most noticeable part of the memorial is a circular pavement with a star-shaped pattern of walkways in its center.

“This is all in the original concept,” said Marc Klaith. Organizers worked with Gene Ernst, the same architect who designed the 9/11 memorial at the park. Klaith said statues honoring the branches of the U.S. military will be placed at the point of each star, along with each branch’s flag. A P.O.W./M.I.A. flag and the Minnesota state flag will also be flown. There’s already a U.S. flag present at the park, as part of the 9/11 memorial, he said.

A metal sculpture that will stand at the center of the memorial is currently being built, Klaith said. Construction of other elements of the memorial is also coming. Those elements include a 60-foot long wall that will run along the First Street side of the memorial, and a display of engraved stones contributed by community members in honor of veterans. The engraved stones will be placed on the Main Street side of the memorial, overlooking the banks of the Redwood River, Klaith said.

It’s taken a lot of community support for the veterans’ memorial to get this far. In addition to community members, the Marshall American Legion and VFW posts, Lyon County and the city of Marshall have all contributed to the project. Lyon County approved a $15,000 contribution toward the project in 2017, and in 2018, the city of Marshall approved a contribution of $30,000 from the city’s Capstone Endowment Fund. On Friday, checks for $6,000 and $55,000 were presented from the VFW.

Klaith said supporters of the memorial hope to have an opening ceremony in October. He said organizers hope the event is something “That will help bring the community back together, because everyone has been so separated.”