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ROODHOUSE – Roodhouse Remembers is more than the name of a memorial to Greene County veterans.

Spurred by a resident's suggestion at a City Council meeting, Mayor Tom Martin and Police Chief Kyle Robison are working to raise the funds needed to give a badly needed facelift to the memorial that has been on the west side of the town square since around 2000.

The names on the wall are listed alphabetically, but Robison said each name has some connection to someone from Roodhouse and Greene County who served in the military. The plaque on the memorial reads, "Roodhouse Remembers. 1812-2001."

The memorial is built of brick, mortar, steel, and plexiglass. There are seven flagpoles in front of the memorial that represent the five branches of the military, the United States and all who are missing in action.

Martin said the women's auxiliary of the American Legion Post 373 were instrumental in getting the monument built.

"They were the ones who got the volunteers to do the work," Martin said.

Robison said a resident, Kerry Roberts, attended a recent council meeting and suggested the memorial needed some attention.

"That's what struck the interest of me and the mayor," Robison said. "It takes energy to get a project done, so we want to make sure we got things started in order to get this done."

Martin knew the wall needed to be restored but also knew it was going to cost some money. He said about 25 names need to be added to the wall. He said the company that did the engraving has not responded, so there may be a need to raise additional funds to get the names added. He also would like to see some lights on the monument.

"The monument has 10 sections of plexiglass that cost about $250 apiece to replace," Robison said. "The weatherstripping needs some attention and it needs to be replaced. There is also some grass growing inside one of the sections and it is growing through a brick and into the wall. There are a couple of sections on the backside that are broken."

Martin and Robison figured they need about $3,000 for the materials to repair it and then rely on volunteer labor to bring the memorial back to its original condition.

The monument received some attention five or six years ago, Martin said, when volunteers replaced the gravel floor with concrete.

Robison said the pair is already about two-thirds of the way to reaching their fundraising goal. Martin has come up with around $1,000 and Robison said a 5K race, sponsored by RossFit Elite Fitness in White Hall, held Sept. 17, raised another $1,000.

Robison hopes private donations can fill the gap needed to buy the materials. He said people could send a check to the city of Roodhouse and write "war memorial" on the memo line and it would be directed toward the renovations.