WESTBROOK – More than 500 red bricks imprinted with the names of veterans from Westbrook, some dating from combat served during the World War I, have been sitting outside the Westbrook Department of Public Services for a year, waiting for families to come and get them.
The bricks had been removed from a veterans memorial at Riverbank Park due to deterioration, and new granite blocks, engraved with the names of veterans and the years served, have been installed in their place.
“They weren’t that worn out yet, but the names weren’t visible enough,” said Dan Matusko, an employee at Westbrook Public Services. “It [the monument] is still up, it’s a permanent structure. It’s all laid out, when you come in the entry way everything is facing out to show each branch of the service and each war with their names right there. There are stones for every branch, including Merchant Marines, and plaques for each combat including World War II, Korea, Vietnam.”
Last spring, Matusko and others from the public services department took out more than 500 red bricks from the memorial and replaced them, one by one, in the same place as the old bricks to make it easier for people to find their family member’s name.
“These things mean things to people. They just don’t know they are here,” said Arty Ledoux, deputy director of public services. “It’s about recognizing veterans in a special way. As a department we realize the importance of it and the integrity and treat it with respect. I see my father’s brick besides my brother’s, besides mine now besides my sons. You see a long line of family bricks out there.”
In 2001, the department charged $35 for each of the engraved bricks, but after a few years, Ledoux said, he noticed some deterioration and the bricks became harder and harder to read.
Ledoux met with a representative from Maine Memorial in the spring of 2010 and together they put together a plan to replace the red bricks with granite blocks, the same size of each brick.
The city agreed to pay close to $2,000 per year, for four years to replace the stones starting in 2011. That year the first batch of 75 bricks were replaced.
Ledoux had another idea to cut the cost to the city but still complete the project. He approached the Cornelia Warren Foundation, which had donated $40,000 to the project in 2001 for the original granite structure, flagpole and bricks, to fund the remainder of the project. Foundation members granted him the funds on the spot and during three days in the spring of 2012, Matusko and two other members of the department replaced the bricks.
“I’ve been working at it since the beginning,” Matusko said. “It’s more difficult this time. You have to level each individual brick, but I do enjoy it. It’s by far one of the most enjoyable jobs here. I definitely read the names and see the groups of families together. It’s brought to light just how many people served from Westbrook and they deserve to be properly honored. I feel very strongly about that.”
Requests for new bricks still come in. Matusko said he sees anywhere from six to 24 new requests a year for a $50 granite stone engraved with a veteran’s name to be added to the growing monument honoring those who fought for the country.
“It seems like we keep adding on every year. There’s plenty of space for anyone who wants to add a brick to it,” Matusko said.
The old red bricks will remain outside for the time being. Ledoux said he has so far moved them four times and plans on keeping them until the families come to pick them up, or until his department need the space.
“They’re here. Some people have asked about them and if I’ve known you and knew you had a brick, I’d give it to you in passing, but for the most part the remain unclaimed,” Ledoux said.
Red bricks with the names of Westbrook veterans and their years served in the armed forces have been sitting outside the city’s Department of Public Services building for more than a year, waiting for family members to claim them.
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