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Plan to renovate Auburn-area ballpark begins with new veterans memorial

The Citizen - 5/2/2021

May 2—Dick Gagliardi has a plan to reinvigorate the dormant Veterans Memorial Park in Aurelius, the first part of which involves the erection of a monument that would be a replica of the U.S.Marine Corps War Memorial near Washington, D.C.

Gagliardi and the Veterans Memorial Park Association broke ground on the memorial project last week. The monument will be positioned at the entrance to the park, which is located off Route 326 and was used to host Babe Ruth League games.

The construction and installation of the memorial will cost at least $50,000. Gagliardi told The Citizen he has been accepting donations from businesses and groups in the community, along with some online donations. A GoFundMe campaign launched last fall to support the construction of the monument.

Gagliardi explained that the organization is hoping to get grants to fund the park renovations. He didn't disclose the potential cost of the project other than to say it would be a large sum of money. For now, though, the focus is on the memorial.

"We want to raise money for the monument and get that built," he said. "Hopefully before that's even built, our grant money will come in and we'll start the renovation of the park, which needs it desperately. A lot of things were left undone for a long time."

Because of the surge in traveling youth baseball programs, participation in the local Babe Ruth League dwindled. The ballpark that was built in the mid-1980s — Gagliardi was the head of the league at the time — was in rough shape.

Gagliardi was the focus of a story in The Citizen in May 2019. He was surprised to see the condition of the field. It wasn't playable and some of the lights had fallen from the posts that surround the field. A dumpster was filled with garbage.

It was then that Gagliardi decided to take the reins and lead the renovation of the ballpark. While COVID-19 disrupted some of those plans in 2020, he advanced the idea to install a smaller version of the Marine Corps War Memorial, which shows Marines raising an American flag on Mt. Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

The replica won't be as large as the D.C.-area memorial, but it will be big enough for drivers to see from Route 326. In a letter sent by Gagliardi, he said the memorial will be 17 feet high and 20 feet wide. It will be completed by spring 2022.

A local artist, Tony Pierce, has been commissioned to design the memorial.

"We ask all veterans and public to donate to a project that will make our entire area a tourist attraction," Gagliardi wrote. "Any support will be welcomed ... There is no other replica of this monument of this size in New York state."

Without an active Babe Ruth League, Gagliardi has other ideas for the park. He wants to improve the existing field and add a second. The renovated complex could be used to host youth baseball and softball games. He hopes that the park will host "many girls' and boys' tournaments throughout the playing months," he wrote in a letter provided to The Citizen.

The Veterans Memorial Park Association has already applied for the grants that could fund, at least in part, the reconstruction of the park. But it's a long-term project. In a social media post Gagliardi shared with The Citizen, he wrote that he hopes the ballpark is open for games in 2023.

The ballpark will be limited to seasonal use for baseball and softball games, but Gagliardi plans on making the facility a year-round site honoring military veterans. In addition to the Iwo Jima memorial, he plans to have a Lockheed T-33 jet displayed and there will be a separate memorial for Throop native Robert Stryker, who was killed in the Vietnam War. Stryker was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration.

"I had a vision in 1986," Gagliardi wrote. "I have another vision: To see this beautiful monument erected at the newly renovated ballpark. Please help me make this a reality and preserve the meaning and dedication of our beloved deceased veterans."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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