Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Graham Veterans Memorial Bridge to Open Today!

Finally...

The bridge is complete and will open today. The contractors will remove their equipment and the borough workers will plow off the snow.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Bridge Opening Delayed Until December 13th...at least

Here is the latest from Mark Miller, P.E.:
According to the contractor, the parapet cover plates are to be shipped late this week and should arrive at the site early next week. Once they are on site, it will take a couple of days to form, pour and strip the parapet sections that need to be completed. It will take a minimum cure time of seven days after the pour before we would be able to open the structure to traffic. This would place opening around the 13th at the earliest.

The good news is that it might be open for Christmas!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Collecting Names...

There have been some who have had difficulty submitting names to this site. If you have had difficulty, please send the name and military conflict to the following e-mail address:

grahamvmb@yahoo.com

If you do not have e-mail, please feel free to call the Grove City Borough secretary at 724-458-7610, x105.

Thank you!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Thanks for Making the Bridge Dedication a Touching, Wonderful Ceremony

Thanks to:

- Of course, everyone who helped with the bridge naming...GC VFW, MC Veteran Affairs, MC Veteran Advisory Council, GC Borough Council, MC Commissioners
- Mark Miller and all of the contractors who made sure the bridge was ready for the ceremony
- Ultimate Rentals for the canopies and chairs
- GCC for the stage, sound, and video - and helping set up the chairs (thanks, Tom!)
- GC Borough Electric Dept for making sure electricity supplied to the bridge
- GC Borough for lots of behind-the-scenes work (thanks, Vance and Paris!)
- Nelson's Flowers for the ferns
- Virginia Moore for designing and printing the programs
- Tom Nesbit, Joel Bigley, and Jeff Black for helping pass out the programs
- American Legion #220 for hosting the Patriot Guard and the Graham family
- GC Police for giving the Patriot Guard an escort through town
- The Patriot Guard for their strong show of support
- All of the speakers who took the time to come and say such great things about Shawn and our vets
- Wendell August Forge for their assistance with the plaques (thanks, Carol!)
- USIS for letting us use their parking lot
- The Grove City Foundation for their support with fundraising
- The media who came and gave the ceremony great coverage
- The Big Guy Upstairs for holding back the rain that was hitting every town except Grove City!

Finally, thanks to those who made the trip to attend the dedication.

I apologize if I missed anyone!

Again, thanks!

Sincerely,
Rich Talbert
Grove City Borough Council

Graham Veterans Bridge to be Open in Two Weeks

The construction on the Staff Sergeant Shawn A. Graham Veterans Bridge hit a small snag, but will be opened shortly. Here is some information received from Mark Miller, P.E. of the Mercer County bridge department:
The bridge will not be opened to traffic due to a problem with the expansion plates for the traffic barrier. Consequently, a small portion of the traffic barrier has not been placed at each end of the bridge, and can not be placed until the plates come in. It looks like it may be around Thanksgiving or shortly after for project completion.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Bridge in the News

Here's a listing of news sites that have covered the bridge over the last few weeks:

Allied News (Grove City, PA)

KDKA-TV Video (Pittsburgh, PA)

KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh, PA)

Allied News (Grove City, PA)/The Herald (Sharon, PA)

Vindicator (Youngstown, OH)

Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA)

WTAE-TV aired a segment on Saturday night, but has not put it on its Web site.

WKBN-TV aired a segment on Saturday night, but it is not planning to put it on its Web site. A copy can be purchased through its business department (Debbie Deemer 330-782-1144 ext 598).

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Dedication Ceremony Memorializes Graham, Grove City Veterans

Several speakers took to the mic this morning to tell stories, to laugh, and to cry as the Staff Sergeant Shawn A. Graham Veterans Bridge was dedicated.


Well over 300 people gathered on the bridge under cloudy skies. Some traveled one block while others traveled half-way around the world for the opportunity to gather with family and friends to remember the life of Shawn and memorialize him and other Grove City residents like him who gave themselves in service to this country.

We would like to thank those who were instrumental in making sure the dedication ceremony went so well:

- American Legion Post 220
- Grove City Borough
- Grove City College
- Grove City Foundation
- Grove City Police Department
- Nelson Flowers
- Patriot Guard Riders
- Ultimate Rentals
- USIS

If you have digital pictures of the dedication, please share them with us! E-mail them to: richardltalbert@yahoo.com.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Dedication Ceremony Layout

Here is a handy layout to help you find your way around the cermony. If you are driving, please use the USIS parking lot at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Harvard Street. The lot is only 100 yards from the bridge.


Patriot Guard Riders - please note the parking arrangement on the bridge, as well as the overflow area around the stage on Harvard Street. If you are escorted down Broad Street, you will turn right onto Chestnut Street, then cross McConnell Street to ride onto the bridge.

The bridge is a little over 100 yards long, so we'll fit as many of you on the bridge as possible, and the rest will easily fit in the overflow area.

Thanks for coming!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Graham Veterans Bridge to be Dedicated November 10

The Staff Sergeant Shawn A. Graham Veterans Memorial Bridge will be dedicated on November 10 at 10:00 am. Several speakers, a ribbon cutting, and an appearance by the Patriot Guard Riders will highlight the ceremony.

The bridge was renamed by Mercer County Commissioners in April to honor Graham, a 1989 graduate of Grove City Area High School. Graham left the area to join the Marines and was killed in Iraq while serving with the Army National Guard 124th Cavalry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division.

The ceremony is open to the public.

Speakers include State Representative Dick Stevenson, Mayor Randy Riddle, Borough Council President George Pokrant, Councilman Rich Talbert, members of the Graham family, and military personnel who served with Graham.

The Patriot Guard Riders is a national group that attends memorial functions to show respect to fallen service persons, their families, and their communities.

The Staff Sergeant Shawn A. Graham Veterans Memorial Bridge will open for traffic in mid-November.

Graham Veterans Bridge Committee Seeks Names for Memorial Walk

As work is completed on the Staff Sergeant Shawn A. Graham Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Memorial Walk project is now hitting its stride. Planners are seeking names of fallen soldiers from the area.

The bridge was renamed by Mercer County Commissioners in April to reflect the wishes of Borough Council and the Graham family, who initially made the request. The idea of a Memorial Walk arose during discussions of how to honor fallen service members from Grove City.

“We wanted a fitting way to honor residents who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms,” said Councilman Rich Talbert. Talbert is part of a group of planners that includes local politicians and military families. “We decided that it would be special to collect names and have a couple large plaques created to affix to the bridge along the sidewalk.”

Planners soon realized that the task was difficult. “There are many sources that have names of Grove City residents who have served,” noted Talbert, “but there are very few that have the names of those who died while serving. On top of that, most records are listed by county, not by town.”

Planners are seeking help from residents, so a Web site has been created to help collect names. “If anyone has names of Grove City residents who have died while serving, we’re asking them to visit grahambridge.blogspot.com,” Talbert said. “Visitors to the site can leave a comment with the name of the service person.”

The planners will be collecting names until late winter, when they will finalize the list and order the plaques. “We want to make sure we take enough time to get a complete list,” said Talbert. “We want to make sure all who have sacrificed everything are honored.”

Friday, September 28, 2007

Looking For Loved Ones Lost During War

Has your family lost a service member during combat operations? Please let us know so we can honor them on the Memorial Walk.

Background of the Bridge

The bridge was named to honor the sacrifices of Grove City area residents who have perished during military action. Our goal is to honor these heroes with a Memorial Walk that features bronze plaques with the names of those who have perished.

The namesake of the bridge, Shawn A. Graham, graduated from Grove City high school and shortly joined the Marines. After serving in the Marines, Graham found himself in Texas, where he joined the Texas National Guard after the terror attacts in 2001. Graham was killed in combat operations in Iraq. He is survived by his wife, who resides in Texas. His family still resides in the borough and surrounding area.

This blog is the product of a group of citizens who wish to see our local military heroes honored by collecting names and raising money to create a Memorial Walk on the Staff Sergeant Shawn A. Graham Veterans Memorial Bridge. The group is made up of local politicians and military family members.