Controversy brews in Gurnee over memorial
Gurnee Trustee Kirk Morris voiced his anger Monday night about the possibility a private foundation he leads won't get to pursue a planned memorial to soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At a village board meeting, Morris accused Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik of trying to engineer his ouster and of asking two contractors to withdraw support of the planned Heroes of Freedom Memorial Park. He also claimed Kovarik informed him in a private meeting that the Pfc. Geoffrey Morris Memorial Foundation, the not-for-profit organization he leads, is underfunded and that the memorial effort has taken too long and produced no results.
Speaking from a village hall gallery microphone typically used by visitors, Morris threatened legal action against Gurnee if the foundation named for his late Marine son, who died in action in Iraq, no longer is in charge of the memorial.
"I will fight you with everything I've got," Morris told Kovarik, drawing a standing ovation from about 75 spectators, many wearing U.S. Marine Corps jackets.
Although Gurnee set aside the former police headquarters site on Old Grand Avenue for the memorial, it's supposed to be built with private money. Morris said he willingly took on the challenge.
Kovarik said Monday she prefers the elected village board assume responsibility for the project and that it should set construction milestones. She said that's what she conveyed to Morris in the duo's recent meeting.
"We will have a game plan and get it done," Kovarik said.
Heroes of Freedom was proposed by Morris in 2005, nearly a year after his 19-year-old son, Geoffrey, died from injuries suffered from hostile fire in Iraq's Al Anbar province. Geoffrey Morris was a machine-gunner for the Marines.
Nine flags representing every military branch and lights were unveiled in February 2006. However, planned sculptures, a garden and a walkway have yet to be completed.
Internal Revenue Service documents show the fundraising arm for the park headed by the trustee, the Pfc. Geoffrey Morris Memorial Foundation, had total revenue of $20,426 and expenses of $43,119 in the most recent tax year, 2007.
Program service expenses included $15,678 for the memorial, $794 on the Heroes of Freedom Festival and $20,347 on veterans outings.
Fund balances at the end of the 2007 tax year were at negative $44,938, according to IRS records.
Morris' attorney, Adam M. Kingsley, said the foundation has raised more than $200,000 for the memorial. He said the organization has a "vested right" to complete the project and that a lawsuit will be filed if Gurnee stops it from doing so.
An estimated $275,000 will be needed for life-size bronze statues planned for the memorial depicting Geoffrey Morris, Warren Township resident Sean Maher and Libertyville's Wesley Wells. All of the men were in the Marines or the Army and killed in battle in 2004 or 2005.
Memorial: Sculptures, garden and walkway have yet to be completed