Monterey Park : War Veterans Monument

A black polished granite wall monument memorializing war veterans will be erected in the city and paid for with private donations, the City Council decided Monday.

Names of Monterey Park residents killed in action will be engraved on the monument, which was suggested by resident Frank Arcuri. The monument will cost about $10,000, said Mayor Judy Chu. No location has been chosen yet.

The idea for a monument was proposed several years ago but was suspended in 1989 when then-Mayor Barry Hatch pushed for a city-funded $50,000 statue of George Washington in front of City Hall instead. The Washington statue proposal foundered when some residents objected because it would replace a 15-foot-high sculpture of the Olympic torch.