During its meeting Tuesday, the planning board heard two proposals for the memorial arranged by Otsego County Veterans Director Tex Seamon.

The first was by representatives from Cherry Valley Memorials, who recommended dismantling the entire memorial and reconstructing all the pieces in new stone.

To simply clean the memorial would ``open it up to serious weathering,’’ said John Viscosi. ``It’s a temporary fix for a permanent problem.’’

They said company they represent, Rock of Ages, would reconstruct the memorial out of granite, not marble as it currently is and guarantee it ``forever.’’

Part of the proposal included making it a memorial to the veterans of all wars.

The cost of the project would run into seven figures.

``We were hoping Miss Clark would help out,’’ Viscosi said.

He told the board the memorial could be restored by cleaning the stone and putting new sealer in the cracks, but would not recommend that approach. Representatives from Rock of Ages have twice made the trip to Cooperstown from Vermont to inspect the memorial and also would not recommend restoration, he said.

Viscosi said the memorial, which was presented by Edward Severin Clark in 1916, has impeccable workmanship.

``Your biggest problem with this monument is no one took care of it 50 years ago,’’ he said. ``If the seams had been taken care of, water wouldn’t have gotten in.’’

Bill Parsons, who specializes in masonry reconstruction and has worked on many of the stone buildings and walls in Cooperstown, disagrees with Viscosi.

Parsons is currently working on the Vet’s Club on Main Street and told the board the monument must be restored. If it is rebuilt, it’s not the same historic monument, he said.

He told the board he would clean it, jack up some of the stone to realign it and clean and fill the seams for $16,400.

He said that according to David Sanford, manager of the Leatherstocking Corporation, Jane Clark would contribute $10,000 toward the effort.

``I said I will do it for that,’’ Parsons told the planning board, adding that if the Vets can raise the rest of the money by April 15, 2008, they can pay him, otherwise he would use it as a charitable contribution on his tax return.

``You can replace it for seven figures, but where are you going to get a million dollars?’’ he asked. ``I don’t think it warrants spending an ungodly amount of money to replace something that shouldn’t be replaced.’’

Parsons, who did maintenance on the memorial 27 years ago, said his work would be done to National Trust for Historic Preservation standards and the cleaning could be completed in time for the annual Memorial Day ceremony held at the monument. The remainder of the work would be completed over the summer.

The planning board believes they have no oversight role with the memorial which is on county land and owned by the county.

Seamon said there has been talk of the county deeding the memorial to the local veterans organization, but nothing has been decided.

He said he will be meeting with the county’s public works committee next week to discuss the memorial.

``I think restoration and cleaning is a very reasonable way to go,’’ said planning board member Charles Hill.