RISON - Veterans Park at Rison will soon be receiving an M60 tank from a Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post at Hamburg to serve as a centerpiece of the military equipment on display at the park.
Rison Mayor Charles Roberts said the city is in the final stages of preparing the paperwork for the U.S. Army Static Display Program to have the 50-ton tank moved about 65 miles from Hamburg to Rison.
While Veterans Park is technically owned by Cleveland County, it is under lease with the City of Rison for maintenance and upkeep. Therefore the city took the lead on having the tank transferred to Rison.
Randy Morgan with the Cleveland County Veterans Association said the association has been looking for a piece of military equipment to serve as a centerpiece for the park over the past several years. Morgan said he and the late County Judge Jimmy Cummings did go look at a Vietnam era jet available through the Arkansas National Guard at North Little Rock, but it was too big for the park.
Roberts said the tank has been at the Preston Malloy VFW-Post 9360 for the past 22 years. The tank is having to be moved since it is in the way of a highway expansion project.
After learning that the tank had to be relocated, Roberts said he contacted the Army requesting the tank, and learned last month that the request had been granted. He said the Army wanted the tank moved within 60 days.
The Army requires the tank to be placed on a concrete pad, and Morgan began making preparations for that pad last week. Roberts told the Rison City Council during its meeting Tuesday night that he expected the concrete slab to be poured today (Wednesday, Aug. 5).
Before the move can begin, Roberts said the Army wants the city to send letters of intent from (see (continued from page 1) those hauling and delivering the tank along with photos of the progress being made with the pad. He said Tri-W Logging at Staves has volunteered to haul the tank while Grace Railroad Contractors has agreed to load and unload the tan…