1993 Valmeyer Flood Memorial

1993 Valmeyer Flood Memorial. . , Residents of the Valmeyer area were separated from much of what was familiar to them following the flood of 1993, architectural items and structural members of the former Valmeyer School complex have been brough together in this memorial. It is hoped that fountain will help you reclaim your favorite memories of the Valmeyer School and life as it was before August 2 1993. Each detail of this monument was designed to conceptually tell the story of the history of the school's place in Valmeyer history. , The overall design of the memorial is planned as a massive block and brick structure, reminiscent of the old school complex. Adding water and creating a fountain seemed a natural progression. Many of the memorial's components were taken directly from the former school buildings The fountain literally represents the flow of water through the previous school facility in various floods, but especially the Flood of 1993 The flowing water figuratively represents the flow of students as they progress from Kindergarten through their 12th grade graduation in the School, and then flow into the community and the world as adults. The waters continue to circulate, and replenish the pool just as students flow out of the school and replenish the community with their fresh ideas and enthusiasm There are 3 sets of columns on each side of the fountain These represent the devastating series of floods that affected Valmeyer in the three years 1945 1944 and 1947 These three floods resulted in the construction of the levees built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1947 at 1950 Each individual column is comprised of three stacks of bricks each stack containing 13, 14 and 17 bricks respectively to represent the flood years. The three columns also represent "03" or 1903 the first recorded Mississippi River flooding to affect Valmeyer, in the 20th Century These three-column sets inter-connected is they are also representative of the three divisions of the school Elementary, Junior and High School all three of these combined into a common school setting The lower collecting pool is a representation of Moredock Lake, a former meander scar of the Mississippi River, and a prominent Valmeyer landmark. Lettering used on memorial was retrieved form the exterior of the former school The copper grates just above the lower collecting were air vents from the original High School building. The terra cotta on the front of the lower pool was taken the upper band of the original High School building Paving stones making up the sidewalk leading to the monument were created by the student body of Community Unit School District No. 3 in the Spring of 1999. Included memorial kiosk are the cornerstone of the original High School building, along with plaques that commemorate varies additions to the original school complex. , Please take the time to enjoy this memorial . It was created for you. Allow it to rekindle you memories of life in the Valmeyer Area as it used to be.