CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Sherrill Park has hosted countless events and ceremonies honoring our veterans. It has 11 existing monuments, but the city will be adding more. The changes were discussed during two meetings in the past year. Veterans were invited to both of those meetings to give their input on what the new park design should include, but some veterans still felt their voices weren't heard.
"We spent 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting for what we believe in, and I think that we need to be represented somewhere within the park," Chairman of Veterans Affairs Services Martin Longoria said.
The project will cost millions and most of that money will come from the private sector.
The city said no other changes will be considered, which makes the Sherrill Park Master Plan final. However, Longoria said he still hopes for more diversity in monuments.
"Then you have all these other things where we went in. Somalia, Panama, and other operations need to be represented in there too," Longoria said.
The new park design will have new amphitheater seating, and feature the main sail from the U-S-S City of Corpus Christi Submarine and a Huey Helicopter. Other veterans feel the design doesn't include enough structures to provide shade for the many ceremonies held at the park each year.
"We’re there at that time period when it's hot, especially during the summer. So additional shading would definitely help at least for the older veterans, providing that protection from the sun," Longoria said.
There is no timeline for when work will begin or when it would be completed.
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