Financing for the farmer memorial that will be erected at 10th and K-96 is moving forward.
At this week’s Great Bend City Council meeting, the council approved the agreement for paying for the metal work that will be done on the memorial, which will illustrate a farmer using horses to plow.
City Attorney Bob Suelter explained the monument is being paid for with private funds and that the first check will go out to cover the price of stainless steel that is being held for the local business that is constructing the memorial.
Suelter explained this will allow the company to get the steel at an earlier price, set before prices increased.
B&B Metal Arts, which did the decorative metal signs at Hoisington, will do the work on the large monument.
The monument will be nine feet tall and 20 feet wide and it will stand on a foundation on concrete that is dressed to look like native stone.
It will be lighted at night.
“It’ll be a great asset to the community,” Suelter commented.
City Engineer Robert Winiecke noted the monument will be placed on the city-owned corner of land at 10th and K-96 in such a way that is will be visible to drivers on both highways and should be noticeable both at day and night.
Work on the memorial is expected to begin next month, the council was told.
The monument was the dream of the late local historian Ray “Jiggs” Schulz, who began the fund to pay for it. That has been added to, through the Great Bend Foundation, by other contributors.