MAINE, USA — How far would you go to say "thank you" to veterans?
Well, Calista Cross has spent the past two years working to do just that, but in a very public way.
"I really love our veterans and I really wanted to do something special for them and give back to them for what they've done to us," Cross said.
The way she went about it was by asking Maine towns to rename a bridge to recognize the men and women who served.
"Instead of trying to name one bridge in a town, I've gone around to different towns and talked to the select people in each town," Cross said.
The first town to say yes was Limerick.
"I speak on behalf of the town of Limerick right now, that we think that it is a small token of our appreciation for all of those past and present who are serving," select board member Brady Connors said.
Connors said the vote was unanimous.
"It's just one of those small things that we can do," Connors said. "There's obviously much larger things, but it's one of the small things. It's a very busy bridge, very highly trafficked, and a lot of people will see it."
Soon, bridge 3157 in Limerick will have a sign naming it the Sokokis Lake Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Also approved this year is bridge 2373 in Hiram, which will be called the Hiram Veterans Memorial Bridge.
In Limington, bridge 2918 will no longer be called the Webster Mill Bridge, but rather the Limington Veterans Memorial Bridge.
In 2025, several more towns will be renaming bridges as well.
Those towns include Denmark, Brownfield, Porter, Parsonsfield, Standish, Newfield, and Waterboro.
Sens. Ben Chipman and Jim Libby are helping Calista with her efforts to rename the bridges.
As a token of appreciation, Calista is presenting each town with a flag board handmade by Ed Comeau, who lives in Lincoln.
This effort by Calista is all in the spirit of saying thank you to those who answered the call and served their country.
The MaineDOT should be putting up the new signs for Limerick, Limington, and Hiram sometime this year.
