$220K to Be Presented to Mt. Lebanon Veterans Memorial Committee

Editor's Note: This story was updated Tuesday, Nov. 29 and was originally published Oct. 4.

Committee Chairs Rocky Bleier and Dan Gigler will accept Duquesne Light’s check for the Power of Light Grant at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 710 Washington Road.

Duquesne Light CEO Rich Riazzi will present the check.

Last month, the municipality of Mt. Lebanon learned it will receive a $220,000 Power of Light Grant from Duquesne Light, according to a release.

The money will fund the lighting component of the Mt. Lebanon Veterans Memorial, which will be built on Morgan Drive in Mt. Lebanon Park.

In September, , at which more than 500 area residents attended.

Power of Light is an outreach effort that connects Duquesne Light to the communities it serves. Program guidelines state it “places a special focus on illuminating regional and neighborhood landmarks, recreational lighting, as well as lighting initiatives promoting economic vitality, safety and security in the various communities and neighborhoods Duquesne Light serves.”

A volunteer community committee raised nearly $180,000 for the memorial, but initial bids came in nearly double the projected cost because of the complexity of the lighting. 

Duquesne Light’s contribution “means that this important project, which will stand for generations to come as a symbol of remembrance for Mt. Lebanon, will go forward,” said Dan Gigler, chair of the Veterans Memorial Fundraising Committee. “We can look for shovels in the ground soon and plan for a dedication on Memorial Day.”

Lighting is an important design element.

A lighted flag and flagpole will sit at the center of a semicircular sandstone wall, with several hundred in-ground lights radiating outward across the grass, symbolizing veterans who served close to home and far afield.

Hundreds of people will pass the memorial, set close to Cedar Boulevard, Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center and Mt. Lebanon High School, each day.

“We were thrilled to learn from Lisa Minor, who administers the Power of Light program, that Duquesne Light viewed our program as ‘important,’” said Mt. Lebanon spokesperson Susan Morgans, staff liaison to the volunteer fundraising committee. “We could not have built a memorial that retained the integrity of Loysen Kreuthmeier Architects’ design without the help of Duquesne Light.”

The project has been rebid, and the commission expects to award a contract perhaps as early as Oct. 11.

Fundraising will continue through the end of the year. To donate, go to www.mtlebanon.org and click on the flag on the homepage.