White Plains Mayor Roach and New York State Senator Mayer Hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Veterans Memorial Garden
On August 2, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the city’s Veterans Memorial Garden, which is located in the publicly accessible green space behind White Plains City Hall.
Mayor Tom Roach stated, “Our city hall rotunda serves as a veteran’s memorial, with plaques reflecting many of the conflicts our residents have served in. Our new Veterans Memorial Garden is a complement to the rotunda, a peaceful setting where members of the community can remember, respect, and honor the contributions and sacrifices of veterans who heroically served our country and protected our freedom. It also offers us the opportunity to display a historic deck gun from the USS Maine donated to the city by the White Plains Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Common Council and I are grateful to Senator Shelley Mayer who provided critical state funding necessary to design and construct the Veterans Memorial Garden.”
Senator Shelley B. Mayer remarked, “I am honored to join Westchester County veterans, the White Plains Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Mayor Tom Roach as we open the Veterans Memorial Garden in White Plains. I appreciate deeply the sacrifices our veterans have made for our communities and our country, and I am pleased to have been able to secure $62,000 in funding from the State Senate to bring this beautiful garden to fruition. Thank you to the White Plains Daughters of the American Revolution for donating the historic deck gun from the USS Maine to the city to be featured in the garden. I also thank the members of my Veterans Advisory Council, some of whom joined us for the ribbon-cutting, for their guidance, and the members of the White Plains City Council, with whom we stand today.”
Senator Mayer secured $62,000 in state funding for the construction of the project.
The garden features a deck gun from the USS Maine – which was donated to the city in 1915 and was originally displayed in the Battle of White Plains Park, an explanatory plaque, markers to identify each branch of the military, plantings, and benches for quiet contemplation. Additionally, the Veterans Memorial Garden complements the Veterans Memorial plaques located inside the City Hall Rotunda.
Mayor Roach and Senator Mayer were joined by Council Member John Martin, Council Member Jennifer Puja, Council Member Victoria Presser, County Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson, Assembly Member Chris Burdick, and members of the White Plains Veterans Community and Senator Mayer’s Veterans Advisory Council.