Bill Babcock of Upper St. Clair was attending a Memorial Day commemoration in Bethel Park in 2007 when he struck up a conversation with another veteran.

When the man lamented that similar ceremonies were not held in the township, a light bulb went off for Mr. Babcock.

On Sept. 1, a major fundraising drive will kick off to raise the remaining $400,000 for a Veterans Park for the grassy area between McLaughlin Run Road and the Upper St. Clair municipal building parking lot across from the high school.

The fundraising slogan is: "Please Give --They Did."

The effort was set in motion in 2008 when Mr. Babcock, a U.S. Navy veteran, and T.J. McGarvey, a U.S. Marine veteran, appeared before the township's board of commissioners to request the formation of a committee to investigate creating a veterans monument.

The board agreed and an eight-member Veterans Monument Committee comprised of veterans, township and school board representatives and community members was formed. Members determined that a veterans park was the best way to honor community members who served our country. That committee gave way in 2009 to a non-profit corporation, Upper St. Clair Veterans Park Inc.

"It is a separate entity from the district and township but enjoys the full support of both groups," said board member Karen McElhinny.

To date, the organization has cash donations totaling $85,000, with an additional $16,000 in pledges. The project is estimated to cost $659,016. But, donations of construction management, legal services, architectural expertise and other in-kind contributions are expected to reduce the total cost to $500,000.

Donations include $10,000 from the district; $10,000 from the township, which is also donating the property and $8,000 raised by high school students for a veterans memorial on school property two years prior to the forming of the committee.

"There has been tremendous participation and cooperation with high school kids, including submitting design concepts," said the nonprofit's treasurer Ched Mertz.

The high school and other district schools plan to conduct fundraisers in the fall. Federal, state, and county grants have been applied for.

The park design consists of seven plazas, with each dedicated to a branches of the Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and National Guard.

Each plaza will have a sitting area and a walk to connect it with a main walkway leading to a dedication plaza.

The centerpiece of each will be a 5-feet by 7-feet vertical black granite panel. One side will contain an educational description/history of the branch, while the other will have photos of the branch's evolution etched into the granite below the branch's seal.

"The beauty is you can participate as it is an educational experience," Mr. McGarvey said.

A dedication plaza for ceremonies or class instruction will feature three granite panels: one, with a narrative about the park; two, a dedication list; and the third, a listing of major benefactors.

The dedication plaza will also have one to four flagpoles and, if funding permits, a bronze statue of a Continental soldier from 1788, the year the township was founded.

The dimensions of the seven plazas will be circular at 18-feet in diameter for each, and the dedication plaza will be about 41-feet by 35-feet.

Donors names will be listed on a bronze plaque at the site.

The park dream, said Mr. McGarvey, is that "our veterans -- past, present, and future -- will be recognized in an appropriate and dignified manner.''

To that end, "we are hoping residents and businesses will step up and help out," Mr. Mertz said.

Details: www.uscveteranspark.org.

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