A proposed memorial cenotaph for Central Saanich was delayed as politicians opted to change its design.
The project missed an opportunity to apply for grant money to help finance the structure early this year.
The deadline to submit an application for financial assistance from the Government of Canada’s Community War Memorial Program was Monday, Jan. 18.
If they had been successful in getting the grant, the project would have had to have been completed by the end of March.
Many issues that came up with the proposed cenotaph included the site and the design itself.
Councillor Carl Jensen said a big concern was its visibility within its proposed Centennial Park location.
He said it would be lost in the trees, facing maintenance costs associated with debris from nearby trees.
Mayor Ryan Windsor said there will never be the perfect design of the cenotaph to please everyone, but based on public feedback, council determined that the particular design wasn’t what they wanted.
He said it’s unfortunate the District lost the grant, which he said was not a sure thing to begin with — as one can submit the design with no guarantee the grant will come through.
Although this is postponed, Windsor said he would still like to see a new cenotaph in by this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony, adding he feels it’s important to get it done.
“The original resolution in 2014 called for it to be completed by 2015, so we’re already in my mind behind schedule,” Windsor said, “but the will of this current council was to take a slightly different path and I’d like to see us stick to that.”
