Interactive kiosk to be installed at Johnson County veterans memorial

IOWA CITY - Johnson County officials are moving forward with plans to install an interactive kiosk at the county's veterans memorial.

Gary Boseneiler, director of Johnson County Commission of Veterans Affairs, said plans to install the $7,000 kiosk, which is designed for outdoor use, have been in the works since the memorial was dedicated on Veterans Day 2013.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors gave unanimous consent to the kiosk during a Wednesday meeting.

The armory and veterans memorial sit at the site of the old armory building, 925 S. Dubuque St., and include the armory's original cornerstone from 1937, crests of each military branch, reproductions of the medallions, and panels detailing the armory's history.

The memorial also includes more than 500 bricks, with several hundred dedicated to honor veterans or supporters from any branch of the service.

With about 100 bricks remaining, Boseneiler said he hopes the added traffic to the kiosk will help him sell more bricks, with the revenue used to maintain and update the memorial.

With the kiosk, visitors will have access to the armory and veterans memorial website, which includes a list of all the supporters and biographies for many area veterans. The website also provides the location of each brick.

'I think it's a good way to go, and I've always wanted even more oral history to be captured and put on the website,” Supervisor Janelle Rettig said during Wednesday's work session.

Boseneiler said Iowa City's Gerard Electric will be donating labor to install the kiosk.

He added that plans are coming together for additional landscaping - including the installation of a retaining wall - at the memorial next year.