The Ebbetts Pass Veteran's Memorial District covers Calaveras County from Alpine County down to right above Vallecito, and from the Stanislaus River on the south to a boundary line going toward Sheep Ranch. There are five board members, serving terms of four years at a time, with at least three of them required to be veterans and all of them required to live in the district and be registered to vote in the district. The board meets once a month at their hall in Murphys. They planned, designed, and have installed many flag pole memorials at fire stations, parks, cemeteries, and other locations throughout their district.
In addition, they provide new flags for schools and provide individual flags for the graves of all veterans buried in Buena Vista Cemetery in Murphys. The board members also march in parades in Arnold and Murphys, carrying the flags of each branch of the service, to increase awareness of veterans.
CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Charles (Charlie) Palmer, Director
Don Padou, Chairman
Craig Stone, Director
Ward Redman, Director
Noah Glanville, Director
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AGENDA
(click below)
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Ebbetts Pass Veterans Memorial District
OPERATING RULES
I. Meetings
The Board will hold a regular quarterly meeting on the first Tuesday of January, April, July and October unless that Tuesday is a public holiday in which case the meeting will be held on the next Tuesday. The Board will hold other special, meetings as necessary at the call of the chair subject to the Board.
Regular meetings will be held in the community room at the Arnold fire station at ten am. Special meetings will be held at a place and time determined by the chair subject to the Board, provided that public notice will be given of the time and place of each special meeting.
At each open meeting of the Board, the public will be given an opportunity to comment on any item on the agenda or on any topic within the purview of the Board. The opportunity for public comment will be provided as close as practical to the beginning of the meeting. Each member of the public will have up to three minutes to provide comment unless, in the opinion of the chair, there appears to be more than four members of the public who wish to comment, in which case each member of the public will be limited to two minutes. The Chair may increase the time allotted for each member of the public to comment. The Chair may allow the public to offer comment during the consideration of individual agenda items. The Chair may require a member of the public to leave the meeting if that member of the public is disrupting the meeting.
Any member of the Board may make or second a motion, including the Chair.
II. Filling Vacancies
When a vacancy on the Board occurs, the Chair shall cause notice of such vacancy to be given to the public at least 15 days before the Board considers filling such a vacancy by appointment. Notice shall be given by posting the vacancy at the: Arnold Post Office; Avery Post Office and Sierra Hills Market in Murphys.
California Code provides for Veteran's Memorial Districts to be formed as needed, with the memorial districts being allowed to provide and maintain memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings, or meeting places, together with suitable indoor and outdoor park and recreation facilities, including swimming pools, picnic areas, and playgrounds, for the use of persons or organizations other than veterans, and veteran soldiers, sailors, and marines who have honorably served the United States in any wars or campaigns recognized by law, or for the use of patriotic, fraternal, or benevolent associations of those persons.
In 2010 the Veteran's District was allowed to use a portion of county land next to the Murphys Community Park for a large Veteran's Memorial. It includes a tall central flag pole with the emblems of all the branches of service on the base, handicapped accessible walkways, benches and a wall where families could purchase a brick engraved with the name of a veteran to memorialize them.
In 2014 the memorial was greatly enlarged due to the generosity of the John Kautz family, who designed and paid for the entire project. The central feature is a bronze statue of a soldier mounted on a large boulder. This new section was dedicated on Memorial Day 2014, with the Kautz family bringing in food tents and providing a free lunch for all veterans after the dedication. This addition to the memorial area also includes another wall for memorial bricks and picnic tables. The location, next to the creek and surrounded by trees, makes it a perfect spot.
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JULY 4th, 2023 CELEBRATION
Arnold Annual Parade