Saturday, November 15, 2008

'A shame and an insult'

Veterans group seeks better maintenance of Isidro Baca Park

Gerald Garner Jr. El Defensor Chieftain Editor, ggarner@dchieftain.com

Ann Baca says Socorro's veterans deserve better.

The sister of Isidro Baca — Socorro's first casualty of war in Vietnam — approached the Socorro County Commission on Wednesday, Nov. 12, and asked that something be done to clean up the park that shares her brother's name.

"I met with you all several months ago about maintaining the park," Baca said. "These young men gave their lives for our freedom ... the least we can do to honor their memory is to have a nice memorial."

Baca appeared before the commission just one day after an estimated 80 people gathered in the park to pay homage — and their respects — to the county's military veterans. She said that while the historic turnout was nice, the event was somewhat overshadowed by the park's deplorable conditions.

"It simply hasn't been maintained — they've just let it go," Baca said. "The trees are dying and the playground equipment is very old. It is just not kept up to the standards these veterans deserve.

Veteran Leonard Clapes agrees.

"Sadly, it's not a top-notch park," Clapes said. "There are upgrades happening all around the park, but not at Isidro Baca. We just want it to be a nice space."

The commissioners — who budgeted some $35,000 for the veterans park earlier this year — said they would instruct County Manager Matejka Ray to contact Sites Southwest — an architectural firm on contract — and request a task order that will see the creation of a master plan to guide future improvements and renovations at the park.

Rallying the troops

Baca said she has watched the park deteriorate over the years.

In April, she'd had enough and penned a scathing letter to the editor directed at the commission.

"Why is Isidro Baca Park not maintained? I am writing this letter to let you know how disappointed I am regarding Socorro County's failure to maintain this park," her letter begins. "... It is a shame and an insult to our veterans that we have allowed their memorial to deteriorate so badly.

"The dead trees and grass are a stark contrast to the Plaza and the pitiful remnants of the flag remind me of how badly we treated veterans of this war," her correspondence continues. "How quickly we forget to honor them."

Fast forward seven months and Baca's indignation has been replaced with a sense of resolve — resolve to honor the soldiers like her brother, who sacrificed their lives in service to our country.

Much of that resolve can be credited to the fact that after her letter appeared in El Defensor Chieftain, a small group of veterans and supporters offered to join her in the trenches and in the fight to better honor the community's veterans.

"It was amazing to see just how much support that letter generated," Baca said.

So with reinforcements in the ranks, Baca and the others — Leonard Clapes, Peter Romero, Antoinette Romero, Bob Sparks, Gary Jaramillo and County Commissioner Rosie Tripp — set out on their mission.

A plan of attack

Clapes is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served three years during Vietnam.

Following the war, he opted to enroll in college through the GI Bill and earned a master's degree in parks management and a bachelor's degree in recreation administration.

But as many veterans did, Clapes found it difficult to find a job where he "fit in."

Nearly 30 years had passed, but when the aforementioned committee assembled, Clapes got the chance to put his education to work — not only for himself, but for fellow vets as well.

"I finally get to utilize the knowledge I acquired 30 years ago to help this project today," he said. "One big thing that's come of this was my idea to create a master plan to guide future improvements."

The master plan, Clapes said, is critical when such a diverse group of people with different viewpoints comes together to try to solve a problem. "It will help us ensure that mistakes don't plague the process," he added.

To date, the group has formulated goals, objectives and policies and guidelines for how it envisions the park to eventually look and feel.

Among the proposed improvements is erecting a 12-foot wide arch at the north end of the park — one that clearly indicates that the park is geared specifically toward veterans. If all goes according to plan, the arch will consist of a metal framework to be covered with the same type of stone work that already graces the memorial.

Other planned projects include removing the cannon from the northern border, creating walking paths that lead to and from the pyramid-shaped memorial in the heart of Isidro Baca Park, planting new trees around the park's perimeter and establishing a new playground at the south end with ample seating options.

One wholesale change the committee seeks is to broaden the park's honorees from just those serving in Vietnam to veterans of all wars.

"It's not just the veterans of Vietnam who we want to honor," Clapes said. "We want to open it up to honor vets of other wars as well."

Fulfilling their mission ...

While their plans are big, both Clapes and Baca are mindful of not trying to do — or ask for — too much.

"The elements added to the park must not become so numerous as to become a burden to the limited open space," Clapes said.

Baca agreed, adding, "We know the county has set aside only limited funds and we want to do as much as we can without being unrealistic."

Although Clapes estimates that the proposed improvements will cost between $50,000-$70,000, any positive advancement of the cause through county coffers is a good start toward fulfilling the committee's mission.

"For too long, veterans have been cast in an unfortunate light," Clapes said. "We want to open up this park to all veterans so — at least in Socorro — none of them ever have to feel like they've been left out in the cold or forgotten."

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