'I Would Love to Load Main Street with People'

Can't make it to Washington, D.C. to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial? Well, the next best thing will be rolling into Moorestown this summer.

Thanks to the efforts of local veterans, , will visit Moorestown for several days in June.

Army veteran Dave Walters, who served in Vietnam from 1968-69, said the wall will come to town on Tuesday, June 4. His plan is to have the wall roll through downtown on its way to a large, open area behind the YMCA, where it will be situated during its stint in Moorestown. The wall will remain there from June 5-9, leaving on the 10th. 

Walters said he'd "love to load Main Street with people" for the wall's trip through town. 

Though Walter himself has visited the wall about 10 times in the last few years as it traversed the country, he said, "There's still a of people who don't know anything about it."

With that in mind, he also plans to reach out to the schools in town to see if they'd like to arrange field trips to the wall.

The Wall That Heals is a half-scale replica (about 250 feet) of the D.C. memorial, and includes a traveling museum and information tent, which is why such a large venue is needed to host it.

The cost of bringing the wall to town will be funded entirely through donations, according to Walters.

Asked why he continues to visit the wall over and over, and why he’s worked so hard to bring it home, Walters responded, “I’m hoping I’ll run into somebody I knew in Vietnam, and it gives me a chance to run into others, and others to reach out to me … It’s heartwarming. It shows what America really is.”

Because the wall will be open to the public 24 hours a day, volunteers are needed to provide security, as well as help visitors navigate the wall. Those interested in volunteering should contact Karen Maltbie at the township offices at 856-914-3001.

To learn more about the Wall That Heals, visit theVietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website. 

In other township news:

• Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano, who sits on the Telecommunications and Technology Committee, said the committee has received one proposal for a technology audit. "It shows some promise, but the committee would like more proposals before we take action on that," she told council Monday night. Napolitano recommended an audit earlier this year as a way for the township to find efficiencies and cost savings.

• Architect Rick Ragan said Sambe Construction has begun placing the foundation for the new town hall into the ground and told council by late May "we will start seeing steel go up." Ragan and other professionals also evaluated a series of change orders and deducts submitted by Sambe, which—after some careful scrutinization—actually reduced the cost of the project by $40,000. Council will vote on the proposals at their next meeting.

Council will hold its next regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 22, in the IT room at Moorestown High School.