The new Veterans Memorial at Golden Belt Memorial Park north of Great Bend will be looking good come time for its dedication at  2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, the day before Memorial Day.
“It’s starting to take shape,” said Barton County Road and Bridge Director Dale Phillips. His department is responsible for the development and maintenance of the memorial.
“It is going nicely,” he said. Phillips complementing his staff for its efforts.
Thus far, the center stone that bears the emblems of the military services has been installed and the flag poles that will hold flags of the various armed services will be erected next week. The concrete slab that will serve as the bases for the stones and flags have already been poured.
As for the ceremony at the memorial, “plans are in the works,” said Paige Lofland, a member of the Memorial Parks Advisory Committee which has overseen the work. “It will be a spectacular dedication.”
As of this week, a total of $27,013 has been raised for the project. There have been numerous high-profile donations, but more is needed, Lang said.
The names of Barton County veterans’ will be inscribed on two stone tablets that will flank the center obelisk. However, prior to those stones being put into place, the county will need to collect enough money for 1,080 entries.  If that level is not reached, the monies collected will be returned to purchasers. 
There is a cost $45 per a 21-character line. Qualifications for inclusion on the memorial are proof that the veteran was at least at one time a Barton County residency and an honorable discharge from the military. Persons contributing $500 or more to the project would receive two lines in appreciation for their donation.
To be included, the veteran can be living or deceased.
Those wanting to purchase a spot on the memorial can bring their payments to the Barton County Administrator’s Office in room 107 of the courthouse at 1400 Main in Great Bend. For more information, call 620-793-1800.
Checks must be made payable to Barton County.
The first name to be placed on the stone markers will be that of the late County Commissioner Don Cates, a veteran and a pilot who died in an agricultural spray plane crash April 22, Lofland said.
“We as a committee wanted to do something to honor him,” she said. “He was an exceptional veteran and an exceptional resident of Barton County.”
When completed, the memorial will feature representations of each branch of the military, including Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Merchant Marines (who received veterans status for the years 1942-46). A gray granite marker will contain emblems for each along with the inscription “A nation that forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten. This is but a small tribute to all the veterans whose names are forever etched on these tablets. We are eternally grateful for their service to this nation. All gave some, some gave all.”
In addition to the stones, there will also be flags representing the branches of service.
 Local sculpture Chet Cale designed and is building the monument.
In February 2012, the Barton County Commission approved plans for the fund drive.
The Road and Bridge Department has spent the last 10 years tending to the two memorial parks (Golden Belt and Hillcrest) north of Great Bend the county inherited when the private ownership left. At this time, the plans for a veterans’ section at Golden Belt were born.
The memorial will be maintained by the county’s Road and Bridge Department.
In other memorial news, the Barton County Commission Monday will consider the purchase and installation of additional flag poles at Golden Belt and Hillcrest memorial parks north of Great Bend at the suggestion of Road and Bridge Director Dale Phillips and the committee. Included would be two 20-foot telescoping poles at each park entrance and six 20-foot telescoping poles for the north side of the Veterans’ Memorial as a start to an avenue of flags.