North Augusta City Council hears presentation on program to honor veterans

Aug. 15--North Augusta City Council heard about a program called Hometown Heroes during its study session Monday night.

Hometown Heroes, a nationwide program, has been adopted by the Aiken County Veterans Council and is a "visible way to honor veterans who have served," said Linda Caldwell, treasurer of the Veterans Council.

The program would put up banners, paid for by companies, sponsorships or family members, recognizing veterans who have lived in Aiken County twice a year.

North Augusta City Council did not make any decisions about the program; members just heard the presentation.

A similar matter was on Aiken City Council's agenda Monday night, as well. Aiken City Council unanimously passed a memorandum of understanding to allow the program. Andrea Gregory was absent.

The program specifies that the veterans must have been honorably discharged and have lived in Aiken County at some point.

The banners would be displayed around Veterans Day and from Memorial Day until after July 4.

Caldwell said Aiken County Council had blessed the project and that municipalities would have to sign off on it, as city crews would hang and remove the banners using existing brackets.

The banners are double-sided and feature two veterans. Each side would include a photo, name, military branch and specific war or conflict, Caldwell said.

Caldwell said she would "love to see" the program "explode."

Council also discussed the Riverside Village park and the contract to construct an amphitheater and other amenities. The park is located near Southbound Smokehouse along the river.

Last week, Council tabled a resolution that would have granted the contract for the construction of the park to R.D. Brown Contractors in order to study the numbers and discuss the value engineering and negotiations.

The bid price plus engineering totals around $2.26 million.

No action was taken Monday night on either the Hometown Heroes program or the Riverside Village park.

Lindsey Hodges is a general assignment reporter at the Aiken Standard and North Augusta Star. Follow her on Twitter at @LindseyNHodges.

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