CAPE MAY POINT — A special place to remember and honor veterans has been created at the north end of Lake Lily, where visitors can enjoy a quiet location to sit and reflect.
The Veterans Memorial off Oak Avenue has been in the works for the past three years. On Memorial Day, the Veterans Memorial Design Committee is hosting a dedication on the corner of Cape and Oak avenues. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. May 25.
In the Cape May Point Taxpayers Association spring newsletter, President Andy Rusnak announced that the CMPTA will be teaming with the Veterans Memorial Committee to dedicate the new Veterans Memorial Park.
The event will include a reading of the names of borough resdients who have served the country, patriotic speeches and music. Rusnak said it will be a great opportunity to honor Marc Wrotny’s bequest and its impact on the community.
Featured speakers will be the three commissioners and a veteran from Cape May Point. A dedication wreath will be laid during the ceremony as well.
“The borough of Cape May Point is pleased to partner with the Veterans Memorial Committee and the Cape May Point Taxpayers Association on this public park project that honors the sacrifice of our veterans,” Commissioner Suzanne Yunghans said in an interview with the Star and Wave. “We extend our gratitude to the Marc Wrotny estate and the many citizens who have donated to this endeavor.”
Memorial origins
The project originated with a bequest from the estate of Cape May Point resident and U.S. Air Force veteran Mark Wrotny to the Cape May Point Taxpayers Association. The bequest includes a one-third interest in the proceeds from the sale of his home, contingent upon using $50,000 of the money to erect a memorial on borough property at the north end of Lake Lily.
Subsequently, the CMPTA formed the Veterans Memorial Design Committee in 2023. Members include Ed Barnhart, Cathy Stambaugh, former Borough Administrator Ed Grant, Environmental Commission member Sandy Allison, Civic Club member Anne Marie Patton and veterans Jim Fraatz and Lynn Smith. CMPTA director Patty Shull joined in the process.
The goal of the project was to create a calming place of reflection with seating, enhance the entrance to Cape May Point and provide paths accessible for all to visit the memorial.
The first phase of the memorial is complete. Work included adding topsoil and grading, and installing a flagpole, carved granite, foundations and benches. The final cost was $51,888, funded by $50,000 from the Wrotny estate and a portion of a $2,785 gift from the Cape May Point Taxpayers Association.
Fundraising
In November, members of the design committee presented an update on the first phase of the project, including the $165,500 budget to complete the plan as envisioned. Barnhart said the committee hopes to raise half the money through donations and the other half through a matching grant.
The fundraising campaign has a $50,000 goal to complete the plan for a fully accessible and welcoming community asset. The campaign began in late December, and it is more than halfway to the goal. The borough is accepting funds into a dedicated trust.
“The Veterans Memorial Park Committee is pleased to announce we have passed the halfway mark in our private fundraising goal of $50,000 towards the completion of Veteran Memorial Park,” Stambaugh said in an interview with the Star and Wave. “To date, 100 private contributors have donated $27,040. On behalf of the committee, we thank everyone for their generous contributions.”
The memorial committee worked with Borough Commission to raise the needed funding and finalize the construction details and process. The CMPTA has set aside $33,000 for the project.
Additional plans include constructing walking paths to connect all three adjacent streets to the memorial and to provide a continuous walking loop around the north end of Lake Lily.
Adjacent to the memorial’s granite inscription stones and flagpole, the existing benches will be relocated beneath new wooden pergolas, set on a hard-scaped terrace overlooking the lake.
“We cherish our walkable community and its natural areas,” Yunghans said. “The vision and ongoing development of Veterans Memorial Park is a work in progress that enhances the entrance to our small town.”
For the next phase, Stambaugh said it’s the committee’s hope to see how much money they can raise and if they can find a matching grant.
“We hope to collect enough money to finish the project completely,” Stambaugh said. “The borough will seek a matching grant to enable completion. The borough has given us tremendous support in creating this trust and working closely as a team to move forward.”
The remaining aspects of the plan include creating a crescent-shaped hardscape podium to serve as the foundation for other superstructures and provide a hard surface suitable for wheelchairs.
The next component is the east pavilion, which will provide screening for the electrical equipment and leave space for a bench. Barnhart said creating a path to Oak Avenue as the memorial’s main approach would provide handicap accessibility.
A west pavilion would create balance to the overall memorial, and the final component would be the lake loop path, connecting East Lake Drive to Cape Avenue.
Those who wish to donate to the completion of Veterans Memorial Park can write a check to Cape May Point, with a provision that the funds be earmarked for Veterans Memorial Park in a dedicated trust account. The memo line of the check must read “Veterans Memorial Park.”
Donations can be sent to Borough of CMP, Attn: Veterans Memorial Park, PO Box 490, Cape May Point, NJ 08212.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
