Vets Memorial site nearing reality

For veteran Mike Pierce, persistence and determination are paying off in his quest to honor others like himself.
For the past six years, Pierce has heard it over and over again: “Where are you going to plant it?”
That big question has to do with the Owatonna Veteran’s Memorial. Pierce has been consumed over the years trying to figure it out. And he now is “99% certain” he has the answer.
Along with his fellow members of the Moonlighter’s Exchange Club of Owatonna, Pierce has located a spot just south of the Steele County History Center and east of the picnic shelter along 18th Street. However, there are a couple of formalities left before the site is secured and the memorial can be built.
The proposed site involves three entities: Steele County, the City of Owatonna and the Steele County Fair. The county owns the property; the city has a lease on it for the ball diamonds; and the fair board utilizes the space for one week each year during the fair. All three groups must sign off on the plan before the memorial can be constructed.
“We need to get all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed,” said Pierce, who is on the Exchange Club’s memorial committee. “We are fairly confident we will be able to start by next spring.”
This is the fourth site the group has looked at in the past few years.
Pierce likes the site along 18th Street near Austin Road because of the traffic flow.  
To help build momentum, the Owatonna VFW will be presenting a $25,000 check to the Exchange Club Monday night. “This will be our biggest donation so far,” Pierce said.
With the $25,000 donation, the Exchange Club has raised $37,000 so far. The memorial is expected to cost around $250,000. Pierce said at least $200,000 is needed before construction can begin.
The Exchange Club has refrained from doing any solicitation so far. “We have not gone out because we feel we need to say this is where it’s going before asking for money,” Pierce said. “It’s a challenge. It’s a lot of money to ask people for,” he said, adding, “I can’t imagine this community won’t get behind it and do it.”
The Exchange Club launched a website this week for people to learn more about the memorial or make donations. It can be found at www.owatonnaveteransmemorial.org.
If construction begins by spring, Pierce hopes it will be ready to go by next fall. Unique to the memorial will be recognition of the U.S Space Force, which is the space service branch founded two years ago.