Pine Island Lions Club dedicates statue
Friday morning, Lions Club President Mary Von Burg arrived at John P. Martin Memorial Lions Club Family Park at 5th Avenue and Lemon Street in St. James City to oversee the installation of the lion statue in the park.
“In 2013, Greater Pine Island Lions member John Martin passed away,” Von Burg said. “Since that time the Greater Pine Island Lions Club has been assembling island residents to volunteer to help with this project. So far the park has been almost completely redone and today we’re adding the lions statue.”
UniScape Ponds, Waterfalls and Landscaping owners Debbie and Claude Memoli built the concrete base for the new statue. Gerard Cicoria delivered the statue that weighed more than 400 pounds that he picked up from Campbell’s Ornamental Concrete earlier in the day.
“The lion was bought and paid for by donations from friends and relatives of John Martin,” Von Burg said. “Once the base and the lion statues are in place, Mark Massey will install two large stones, one on each side of the lion statue. One stone will have bronze names plates for former Lions members who have passed and the years they served. The other will stone will be for name plates for residents who want to add their name in memory of friends and relatives.”
Two iron benches will be added by Erik Flett (captain and welder) to the white shell area of the memorial and Mango Tango has offered to donate low growing, flower bushes for decoration.
Coral Ridge is providing the name plates at $100.
“Anyone interested should contact us early,” Von Burg said. “It takes several weeks to get these made and then installed.”
Von Burg can be contacted at 283-9761; the Greater Pine Island Lions Club can also be reached at P.O. Box 734, St. James City, Fl 33956. All tax deductible donations are graciously accepted.