photo by: Warren Scott

New red, white and blue lighting and signs have been added to the Follansbee Veterans Memorial Fountain at Follansbee Park through an ongoing effort by volunteers to refurbish the monument.

A monument to local veterans of all eras is receiving a fresh look thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers and donors.

Tom Ludewig said he and fellow resident Paul DiGiacinto noticed the Follansbee Veterans Memorial Fountain was starting to show its age and set out to refurbish it with the help of several others.

Ludewig said with help from their wives, Amy Ludewig and Donna DiGiacinto, the two quietly solicited donations for new red, white and blue lights for the monument and other improvements, while Bill and Sharon Ewusiak purchased new U.S. flags and flags representing each of the military branches for the site.

Donating funds for the effort were Joe Mullenbach, Carl Martino, Louie Hedmond, Jim Piccirillo and the daughter and sons of the late Anthony Paesano: Toni Shute, Frank and John.

As mayor and president of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce, Paesano had led efforts to establish the monument in collaboration with the 20th Century Woman’s Club, a chapter of the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs, and Follansbee Council and with donations from many local businesses.

Completed in 2012, the monument features a 5-foot stone urn with a continuous fountain at the center of a stone brick ring.

At its unveiling, Anthony Paesano said the monument’s stone elements represent the strength and unity of the American people while the urn represents the many service members who died while defending their country and the fountain’s water symbolizes the tears shed for them.

Ludewig said the fountain needs repairs, and he hopes to use some of the donated funds for that.

He said remaining funds also may be used to purchase wreaths with red, white and blue ribbons for the site and for a separate monument to Joey Perito, a young Follansbee man who was killed by a land mine while serving in Vietnam.

He is among many Follansbee veterans who lost their lives while serving in World Wars I and II, Korea or Vietnam whose names appear on signs at the monument.

Ludewig said an anonymous donor provided funds for new signs, including small ones that instruct visitors not to step onto the monument.

He said the idea of refurbishing it arose when he noticed a short, white picket fence around it was deteriorating.

The fence had been installed to prevent children from climbing on the monument.

It had not been uncommon for children to climb on another veterans monument that stands near the park’s playground and wasn’t clearly marked.

Ludewig said he opted not to replace the fence, preferring the way the monument looks without it, and hopes all visitors to the park will show respect for it.

A former manager of the park, Ludewig said many visitors have come to see it or took time while there to appreciate its beauty and purpose.