Board sets budget for Wall of Honor expansion
The board of directors of the Veterans Council of Northwest Arkansas have set a budget for an expansion to the Veterans Wall of Honor in Bella Vista.
Board members met Jan. 25 with Brian Shewmaker of Shewmaker Construction, who is the contractor for the project. Hight Jackson and Associates is the architect, and Crafton Tull is the engineer.
“This is a very much touted topic — we’re very much looking forward to getting started on it,” said Roger Armstrong, president of the veterans council.” He added there are 4,500 names on the wall and no remaining spaces with many veterans yet to be recognized.
“Our sole mission is to protect and maintain that monument so the names on it will live in perpetuity,” he said.
The expansion to the monument will be made up of five circles with walls, one for each branch of the military and a common area that is a larger circle. The organization hopes to have events in the common area. Another adjoining circle is planned to have an aircraft mounted on it. The first phase will consist of one circle with a concrete slab and a wall.
Shewmaker told the group the dirt work on phase one would cost $23,702, however, he could do phase one and all the dirt work for the entire project for $41,659. He said the reason was the availability of dirt and the mobilization of equipment. The dirt is being donated by Emery Sapp and Sons. Shewmaker said it is $50,000 worth. Shewmaker also said he is donating his profit back.
Armstrong said the entire project is going to take place over perhaps 10 years and expressed a concern about erosion. Shewmaker said he could not guarantee there would not be a flood but said he would like to see them do all the dirt work first. He also said the dirt would be seeded.
Shewmaker also presented options on the type of wall to be built. He said a poured concrete wall would be $15,600; a concrete wall with granite panels would be $19,600; and a block wall like the ones in the current monument would be $20,100.
The group discussed the different options and agreed on a block wall because it would be more consistent with the existing monument than the other options.
Ray Brust, president emeritus, proposed setting a budget of $70,000 and letting Shewmaker proceed with the project. After some discussion, council member Jim Parsons made a motion in keeping with this, and it passed.
Lisa Watten, daughter of the late Leonard Watten, who designed the existing Wall of Honor, was among those present at the meeting.
“I’m so honored that his original design is being continued in the new design,” she said. “It signified to me that they love what’s there, and that it is incredibly honoring to my father, to me. I wish he could be here to see this going forward.”
To donate to the Wall of Honor project, visit vetwallofhonor.org.