ROYAL OAK, Mich. – There is a heated battle in Royal Oak over the planned move of a war memorial.
The city plans to move the current one as part of a larger park project. A veterans’ group is adamant that the monument must stay where it is.
The city of Royal Oak plans to move the monument as part of a larger project to rehab the space and turn it into a park. The monument is set to move 40 feet.
The issue dates back to 2007 when the memorial was moved from a noisy, congested area a few blocks away. Citizens donated for the new memorial and an ordinance was written to protect the land around it.
The group argues the city’s plan to move it violates that ordinance. The city argues that the ordinance only says the memorial has to stay on the same land.
READ: Petition aims to block planned move of Royal Oak Veterans Memorial
Because of the ongoing feud, the American Legion sent a letter to the city commission, saying they weren’t invited to Monday’s Memorial Day parade.
The group has also gathered enough signatures to put the issue to a vote in November, but the city said the language on the petitions isn’t correct and is not suitable for a ballot. Now a lawsuit is in the works.