FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jennifer Savage

904.398.5222 | 904.487.8360
j.savage@daltonagency.com

COUNCIL MEMBER LOVE AND MEMORIAL PARK ASSOCIATION PARTNER
TO PLEDGE $400,000 IN UPGRADES FOR MEMORIAL PARK
Funds Raised Will Restore Park to Original Grandeur

J ACKSONVILLE, Fla. J une 4, 2014 At Tuesdays meeting of the
Jacksonville City Council, councilmembers approved Councilmember Jim Loves
request to allocate $200,000 to the Memorial Park Association. The City will
match $200,000 in private funds raised by the Memorial Park Association, a
nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and protection of Memorial Park. City
funds will come out of the districts Loblolly recreation/banks account.

Memorial Park faces challenges for the restoration and repair of important
historic elements, and for updating its landscape and infrastructure to adapt to
modern standards. The Memorial Park Association was founded as a non-profit
entity, dedicated to the preservation and protection of Memorial Park.

The Memorial Park Association will use the combined $400,000 toward the
following improvements:
Repairing four entry walls at Riverside Avenue
Restoring Life statue to include restoring fountain basin, slabs, walls-
cladding and coping
Replacing plumbing equipment and controls
Repairing perimeter walls at Memorial Park Drive and Margaret Street
Improve drainage

Restoring and preserving Memorial Park is essential for the Jacksonville
community, said Council Member Jim Love of District 14. The park is rich in
history and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places pays tribute to
thousands of Floridians who died in World War I. Making the necessary repairs is
important to perpetuate the parks beauty for generations to come.

The Memorial Park Association is grateful for community members who donated
in order to help Memorial park return to its original glory, said Memorial Park
Association President Pattie Houlihan.

The Memorial Park Association entered into an Adopt-a-Park Agreement with the
City of Jacksonville, which has enabled the association to perform various
operations and maintenance functions consistent with the historical character of
the park. MPA has facilitated numerous projects and initiatives to further
preserve and protect Memorial Park.



Memorial Park was born out of the Jacksonville citizens deep gratitude to those
who served in World War I and honors 1,220 Floridians, men and women, who
died in the conflict, and whose names are inscribed on a parchment sealed in a
lead box buried beneath the memorial plaza.

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