HYANNIS – The town of Barnstable is looking to give the John F. Kennedy Memorial a face lift and recently received input from the public on design elements.
The memorial on the Hyannis waterfront overlooking Lewis Bay, which was completed in 1966, was originally designed to recognize the importance of a neighbor who became president and provide a quiet and reflective space, according to Lynne Poyant the town’s Community Services Director.
“The plans aren’t to really change from that original thought,” Poyant said. “It’s to continue to keep it as a quiet and contemplative place but to add some additional elements.”
The current pool and fountain at the memorial needs physical system upgrades.
“Modern pools today aren’t the depth that that particular pool is now so we are talking about changing the style,” Poyant said.
The pool was original designed to reflect the eternal flame in Washington, D.C.
“Over the years that has also changed in how it has been done, so we are trying to bring it back to where it was previously,” she said.
Other new elements being discussed is adding more important JFK quotes that will resonate with visitors.
“It’ll be a nice compliment to the Kennedy Legacy Trail, the JFK Museum and it will continue to draw hundreds of thousands of people every year,” Poyant said.
The town began discussing designs for the restoration last year.
“We were really lucky that J.P. Lanza, the original builder of the memorial, was able to come down for a site visit in August of 2016 so that we could separate the fact from the fiction as far as how the memorial was built and what is underneath,” Poyant said.
The next steps will be for a Weston & Sampson Environmental/Infrastructure Consultants to create a design with cost estimates and to find funding for the restoration.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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