CONNEAUT —
Community help is needed to help restore a recently refurbished lakefront memorial damaged months ago by vandals.
At issue is a damaged angel statue featured in the Three Cousins Memorial at Lake Road and Detroit Avenue. The angel, which kneels before an image of Jesus Christ, is one of a handful of statues in the memorial, which was unveiled in late 2009.
Last fall, vandals took a ball bat to the angel’s wing, cracking it badly. Exposed to winter weather, the wing has deteriorated to a point where repair is impossible, said Penny Armeni, treasurer of the Port Conneaut Harbor Merchants Association, the group that spearheaded and financed the memorial project.
A new angel has been ordered, but the cost will put a burden on the newly formed association, Armeni said.
“We would appreciate any donations from the public,” she said.
The memorial replaced one constructed at the intersection decades ago to honor three young cousins, Gail Pape and Mary Baker of Conneaut, and Marie Stanziano of Detroit, who drowned in Lake Erie in 1964. The original memorial had fallen into disrepair over the years. Located at the gateway to Conneaut’s busy lakefront district, the merchants association felt a makeover would be a good way to introduction the association.
“This is the beginning of a lot of changes,” Armeni said at the memorial’s dedication.
To donate to the angel replacement project at the Three Cousins Memorial, contact Armeni at the Conneaut Community Center for the Arts, 1025 Buffalo St., Conneaut (593-5888).
