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Satya Yalomanchi said the statue is supposed to respect Veterans; however, if it faced the cemetery where soldiers are buried, he thinks it would be more symbolic to its meaning. Bob Sanchez said he and his wife Diane have purchased plots in the rustic area of the cemetery. The committee has looked at uses of materials, purpose and topics in design of the memorial. He presented a picture of what can be seen from the sidewalk of the Gary Paul Meyer Memorial Grove which is off Bernal, is smaller but hidden from the public. It does have a flagpole which is a standard but there is rare use of it. He thinks a memorial is designed to elicit an emotional response when someone sees it and the Merchant Marine is nationalized during a war and is equal as a defense element of the war. The committee has considered all elements of the memorial and he feels the Pioneer Cemetery is an appropriate location for it. He reported that their general committee approved the detail design specifications for the bronze statue and they are prepared to move forward to work with the City closely on this statue. They envision the statue would look at the road and drivers will see it when first arriving to the cemetery, which will elicit response. Mayor Thorne closed public comment. Councilmember Narum said she is happy this is the first step for improvements to the Pioneer Cemetery and thinks it is fitting to start with a memorial to their Veterans. She is hopeful that the City will have funds to improve the approach in time for Veterans' Day next year. She said the Council has received some emails, thinks the matter has been well vetted over the last year, and believes the Veterans Committee has addressed changes in response. She also believes this is absolutely the correct location for it. She is not a Veteran but is happy to make a motion to approve the request, but deferred to the Mayor for a motion. Mayor Thorne made a motion to approve the Memorial and agreed that the matter has been vetted for over a year. He is a Veteran and appreciates all efforts that have gone into this. There are two additional Memorials in town and this will be a great and beautiful project which is located in a peaceful and appropriate setting. Councilmember Pentin said he is honored to second the motion and commented that this is a very personal presentation for him. He said 25 years ago January he lost his brother in Iraq and he knows what it is like to go and spend time to reflect. The first Memorial Day in 1991 he went to the services in this cemetery and every Memorial Day he visited the cemetery and has felt his brother's spirit there. He supports the design and thinks the Veterans and City staff has done an exemplary job of making the right memorial. Councilmember Olson stated that in responding to the comment that the memorial does not belong in the cemetery because it is not historic, he said even though it will be built next year each of the flags represented there have a deep history as do the service emblems. Therefore, this is a historic piece the City and Veterans are creating. He thanked the Veterans and City staff for working on this, recognized it was difficult to arrive at a compromise on design elements and congratulated all those involved. Vice-Mayor Brown said she is the proud daughter of a Navy pilot and a proud sister of a Vietnam Veteran. She thanked Mr. Norris for speaking so eloquently and Doug Miller for his time meeting with Councilmembers to review the plans for the Memorial. She thanked the Harrington's for their generous donation and saying they are making Pleasanton better and better with each gift. She is honored to be part of an approval for $28,000 to move the plans forward and get details going. She thinks the location is surrounded by historic oak trees which represent strength and honor and victory. When she visited the site she envisioned the monument at the top of the hill overlooking Pleasanton Valley. She thinks it will be an incredible statement to citizens and Veterans and she also endorsed the project. City Council Minutes Page 6 of 16 November 3, 2015