Three days after the anniversary of the death of Weissport native Betty Brey, plans for the development of a memorial in her honor continued to move forward. Borough Council President Gene Kershner joined Keith "Jake" Boyer, Tom Mullen, and Sandy Putkowski, in the Weissport Park as Earl Wenz Monuments Vice President Phillip Wenz explained the statue's specifications to the group.

Betty Brey was born Elizabeth Evadna Mullen on Nov. 23, 1931, in Weissport. She was a multi-medal Pan American Games winner in women's swimming for the years of 1951 and 1955. Brey was also a member of the silver-medal U.S. Olympic Team in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where she swam in the preliminary meets of the women's 4 x 1000 meter freestyle relay but did not compete in the final race. Brey died on March 21, 2015, at the age of 83 in Florida.The monument to Brey will be placed near the brass bell in the center of the park facing Park Street. The statue will stand an estimated 8 feet tall, weighing over 5,000 pounds.A 4-foot sandy pink concrete foundation will be poured for the base, leading up to engraved granite plaques that will be inscribed with several of the Olympic swimmer's accomplishments.A bronze statue of Brey in a swimmer's stance will rest at the top of the monument.According to Wenz, several artists will be contacted to create the clay mold of Brey. Then he will shop the design around to several metal foundries."We're still working out the details," Boyer said."First we need approval. Once it's approved the foundation can be laid," he said.Kershner said he expects the board to be on board with the maintenance-free memorial's construction."Everybody's in full agreement with it," Boyer said. "It benefits the park.""Being born and raised here I think it's a wonderful thing to do."Putkowski added, "This will be a great addition for the park."Mullen assured the borough president the cost is being completely taken care of by the Brey family.Wenz said the monument should be finished this summer if the borough approves the project construction."There is a lot of history here in Weissport," said Boyer. "We want to pay tribute to someone who was dedicated and always remembered Weissport. She brought prestige to this little town of Weissport and we want to keep that going for the family."