Peace Pole - Smallenburg Park - Holland, MI - Peace Poles on Waymarking.com

Excerpt from Holland Sentinel article of Friday, September 22, 2006.

The peace pole rests in the ground beyond a slope at the park, with a bench situated before it.

"This pole has its place in Holland," said Holland Peacemakers member Al Friend, who pushed to get the peace pole placed in a city park. "You've got to think of peace consistently to make
it happen."

Friend admitted that the process, which took more than a year, was trying, but said the group had to move forward to get it done. After more than a year of struggling to get the peace pole placed in a city park, the Holland City Council agreed July 5 to replace an existing peace pole at Smallenburg Park.

The process to get the peace pole set up at the park was a difficult one for the group. The peace pole issue went from various city committees and proposed locations, up to the city council level, then back to committees before its approval.

Mayor Al McGeehan, who was the keynote speaker, said the issue was fraught with controversy. He asked people to set aside their differences about the pole and listen to the message.

"If we can put our partisan politics aside, let's concentrate on the significance of those words inscribed before us," McGeehan said. "Let's focus on the message."

The Holland Peacemakers first brought the concept of a peace plaza and peace pole to the city's leisure and cultural services commission, which approved the peace pole to be set up at the southwest corner of Centennial Park in June 2005. However, the city's historic district commission denied the request because the peace pole failed to meet district standards.

Later attempts to place the peace pole in Kollen Park and Rosa Parks Green also failed.

For information on the Holland Peacemakers go to (visit link) .

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