A plan to honor Tamaqua’s war dead with a monthlong celebration in May 2018 took a giant step forward Tuesday night.

Tamaqua Borough Council heard from members of the Tamaqua Remembers Committee regarding plans for an upcoming 150th commemoration of Memorial Day, and a proposed project along a section of South Nes- copec Street at the intersection with West Broad Street.

There is a retaining wall in the area and members of the committee were seeking council’s approval to create a memorial in the area that will honor Tamaqua residents who have been killed in action.

Artists Eric Schalles and Chris Brink presented the proposal to council, and committee member Eric Zizelmann explained that the memorial will honor those killed in action since the Civil War.

“Our biggest concern is missing someone,” he said. Currently, the committee has 94 names.

Zizelmann explained that the Civil War was the first conflict that occurred after the borough’s incorporation.

“We are hoping to make the entire month of May a special month for the town,” Zizelmann said.

He also asked council to consider renaming the section of the street where the memorial will be to something that will also pay tribute to the sacrifices made by residents of this area.

Council President David Mace, who is also a member of the Tamaqua Remembers Committee, said there are currently no addresses along that section of the road and asked the borough’s solicitor to look into what needs to be done to rename the street.

Mace and Zizelmann said the committee is working on some potential names for the section of street and will forward those names to council.