The mayor of St. Clair Township says he's excited to see upgrades to the Brigden Cenotaph, hopefully in time for Remembrance Day.
A plan was approved by council in February for two customized benches and two new monuments to be added to the site. The Royal Canadian Legion Brigden Branch 635 had also outlined plans to add a riser to the original monument to include the dates of the Afghanistan War.
Mayor Jeff Agar said he thinks it's a great idea.
"We go out there a lot and the Cenotaph is starting to look a little aged," Agar said. "[When] Remembrance Day rolls around, one way to honour veterans is to have an honourable place to go."
Remembrance Committee Chair Chuck Stevens said while a timeline for the project has not been finalized, they hope the work will be complete "well in advance" of November 11.
Stevens also said fundraising efforts are in full swing with corporate donations being made to the legion.
During a recent budget meeting, council approved $8,000 in funding to go toward the Cenotaph project.
Meanwhile, council approved the 2024 budget as presented during the March 7 meeting.
The $17.36 million document included a tax increase of 4.35 per cent or about $118 per year for a single-family detached home. The average tax increase for farmland (including outbuildings) is 5.49 per cent.
Agar said he was pleased with the report.
"You don't want to see any kind of tax increase nowadays but it's to keep everything that we have and no cuts... it worked out good," he said.
Agar said many of the projects in the budget included infrastructure repairs to area roadways and bridges. As specified in the document, the Cameron Street watermain and road reconstruction project is expected to move ahead this year.
