Petersburg opens new park to honor local veterans
PETERSBURG − Against the backdrop of Veterans Day , Petersburg leaders and citizens gathered to dedicate a downtown park designed to honor the city's past, present and future veterans. The Nov. 11 ceremony dedicated Rotary Memorial Peace Park, a 9,700-square-foot former parking lot repurposed into a greenspace in which to relax and reflect. It is bordered by East Washington, North Jefferson and Franklin streets. Peace Park is the brainchild of Richard Taylor, a longtime Petersburg resident and civic leader who started work on it a few years ago after receiving a call from someone alerting him to the condition of the old parking lot. "It really was a labor of love," Taylor told the audience. Through the generosity of local businesses, Petersburg Rotarians and a $15,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation, the old asphalt was ripped out and replaced with soil and sod − and all done without spending a single city penny. The size of the park is 9,726 square feet. Taylor said that number was chosen for a reason. "I say 9,726 because if it had been 10,000 square feet, I would have had to apply to the federal government for a permit to get rid of [the
