With the help of private insurance and public grants, the base of the Doughboy Monument in Uniontown will likely be renovated in time for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 2018.
The statue, named Over the Top at Cantigny after the first major American offensive in World War I, was dedicated in 1926 in honor of Clatsop County veterans.
The bronze doughboy clutching a rifle was designed by famed World War I monument sculptor John Paulding and installed atop an ornamental cement base designed by local architect Charles T. Diamond.
The Astoria Victory Monument was paid for with money raised by the American Legion and an association of businesses in Uniontown. The last major renovation was in July 2006 for the 80th anniversary of its dedication. The new restoration will include two projects, one funded by government and the other by happenstance.
A truck crashed into the statue in August, breaking off light poles, cracking concrete edges on the base and closing the eastern bathroom underneath. The repairs to the portion damaged by the truck will be paid for by either the driver’s or the city’s insurance, said Angela Cosby, director of the Astoria Parks and Recreation Department.
Overseeing the restoration is Rosemary Johnson, a former city planner.
“One of the planters was destroyed, so that will be replaced,” she said. “Two of the light poles on the east side were damaged by the wreck, so they’ll need to be reconstructed. We still need to have an analysis
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