BY MARGARET DAMGHANI
Longtime Garner resident and architect Mon Peng Yueh, who is known for her work as lead designer on the Garner Veterans Memorial, was chosen to fill a vacancy on the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department’s Advisory Committee.
Yueh is a principal designer at downtown Raleigh architectural firm Clearscapes and moved to Garner in 2003. She was attracted to the community and small town feel of Garner when house-hunting with her husband when her eldest of two daughters was a toddler.
“We came to Garner and just really fell in love with this town and the neighborhood that we found,” Yueh said. “We have really been enjoying living in this community, and also the fact that there are so many programs and facilities for the citizens.”
When the Garner Veterans Memorial Committee began searching for design submissions, Yueh took the idea to Clearscapes, which has designed the likes of the Raleigh Union Station, Marbles, and the Shimmer Wall, and combines architecture with artistry.
Not only did she win the role of lead designer, working with artist Thomas Sayre, Yueh was among the delegation sent to represent Garner ahead of the town winning the All-America City Award in 2013.
“I just want to be more involved with the community and to share my experience and background as an architect. I’m really proud to be living in Garner. We are a small town but we have first class, high quality programming and spaces,” Yueh said. “We have really high quality facilities here and I want to ensure we maintain that and offer whatever expertise I have in guiding the development of the parks and recreation and cultural facilities.”
The eldest of three, Yueh immigrated from Taiwan with her family in the late 1980’s, when her parents sacrificed positions as teachers in order to move.
Yueh discovered her love of the arts and architecture while attending the competitive North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, where she was mentored by architects from Research Triangle Park, only a few years after moving to the United States and learning English in the fifth grade.
She went on to receive her degree from NC State.
Yueh and her family are active in many of the local events Garner is known for; her children performing over the years with the Flying Tiger Martial Arts Demonstration Team at holiday events. Like many in Garner they enjoy the fireworks, Fireman’s Festival and downtown events, and her father in law is active at the Garner Senior Center.
The Advisory Committee consists of ten members who offer recommendations to the Town Council on recreation services, facilities and fee policies.