Ludlow Park in Summit Hill is “the hub of our community,” said Borough Council member Marlene Basiago.

She said it is a site of many gatherings throughout the year including the annual Memorial Day Service, Easter egg hunt, Hootenanny and summer concerts.

It’s also where exists a group of monuments that honor veterans of various wars.

Most eye catching of these monuments is a tall, lone soldier in a Civil War-style hat clutching a flag, atop a concrete pinnacle. Simply called “Soldiers Monument,” it was erected over a cen- tury ago — in 1914 — by citizens of Summit Hill and the Panther Valley. It bears the inscription: “To all the defenders of the Union from Summit Hill and Panther Valley and to their parents and wives.”

The other monuments are dedicated to veterans of specific wars and are surrounded by arborvitae trees.

Basiago and other members of the council feel weathering and other issues are taking a toll on the monuments.

As a result, the council agreed to look into improving them, including having them sandblasted, cleaned and repainted. In addition, moss that is creating an ugly coating to parts of the stones would be remedied.

The arborvitaes would be removed since they have overgrown the site and appear to be in poor condition.

The borough’s workforce would remove these trees. There are still Christmas lights on them, which council member Karen Ruzicka offered to remove.

If the grant can be secured and if the borough can have the work done without having to go through a bidding process, the work would be done jointly by Trinity Artisans 2016 of White Haven and Church Service Group LLC of Freeland at a combined cost of $14,625.

Time is of the essence, which is why council is hoping bidding isn’t needed. The grant would be sought from the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau and has an April 4 deadline for the application. It would be a 50/50 match, with the borough having to pay half the cost of the work.

Although the council was unanimous in wanting the work done, Ruzicka wondered if the project falls under the criteria requiring the obtaining of bids.

The council will consult with its solicitor, Attorney Robert Frycklund, for advice on whether the project can move forward at the present time.

Basiago said she wants to see the monuments improved because “we owe it to those who fought for our freedoms.”

“We need to do this to show our pride and interest in our community,” Basiago said, adding it has been about three decades since the Soldiers Monument was painted.

The council also said that a bronze, cherub statue that had been located in the park has been repaired. The cherub was vandalized last April and heavily damaged.

Before it is placed back in the park, fencing or some other protective encirclement will be installed to prevent such damage from recurring.

In one other matter, a request made by Bob Barron seeking permission to paint the gazebo in the park was rejected by the council, which indicated it would prefer to have such work done professionally.