Hearing set over removed memorial
Washington County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Lucas has set Aug. 23 as the next hearing date in the dispute over a memorial removed from Cecil Township Park.
Attorney Jesse White is representing Jennifer Andreis Moninger, whose deceased father’s likeness adorns a memorial stone that was approved by township supervisors for placement in the park in March.
The stone in honor of Gary Andreis Sr. was removed in early July without a public vote, spurring White to file a suit alleging Sunshine Act violations.
The suit filed by White July 9 said the removal was spurred by complaints by Cecil residents in private meetings with township supervisors that the stone was a safety hazard.
Cecil Township solicitor Chris Voltz argued White’s request Monday for an injunction to put back the stone – which Voltz said was stored in the township public works storage shed – was improper because the Cecil Township supervisors had not yet been served with subpoenas.
“I have emails from the park board and supervisors attesting to specifics with the stone and the memorial,” Voltz said.
“This removal was an administrative action to something that was not approved.”
White responded, saying “it was placed in the park and approved by township personnel. … There were multiple points to stop this before it was placed (if something was not approved).”
“(The supervisors) shouldn’t be able to act on apparently nonexistent policy (that was cited by supervisor Tom Casciola to the Observer-Reporter). And if that new or apparent policy means ‘no memorials,’ then it should be retroactive for all memorials in the park,” White said, “because to say there’s no point to put it back right now, there was similarly no point to remove it.”