Veterans War Memorial To Be Updated Due To Safety Concerns

CUMMING, GA -- After heavy rains this spring, the Cumming City Council recently voted to begin dismantle the Veterans War Memorial due to safety precautions.

On Thursday, April 18, crews began dismantling most of the structure at the Cumming Veterans War Memorial following a unanimous vote by Cumming City Council during their meeting on April 16 to take down the structure for safety reasons. The main structure began showing signs of severe foundational damage in early April, likely as a result of continued excessive rain the Cumming area has experienced over the past few months.

However, Mayor Troy Brumbalow told the Forsyth County News that the city had changed its mind. The paper reported that the current memorial will be repaired, but “in a little bit different form,” Brumbalow told the FCN, “because you can’t exactly replicate it, because the original materials aren’t available.”

The cost of the repairs is unknown, Brumbalow told the paper. “We’re having to do this in an emergency capacity,” he told the paper. Repairs are expected to be completed by the city’s Memorial Day ceremony, Brumbalow said to the paper.

City staff members asked several experts - including representatives of monument companies and Gregory Johnson, the artist who designed the monument - to examine the structure and grounds in order to make recommendations for the best course of action. They all came to the same conclusion: The monument is no longer structurally sound and needs to be taken down for safety reasons.

Crews will be working as quickly as possible to safely remove the main portions of the structure; however, the monument has not seen its last days yet. It will be “re-born” at the new Cumming City Center on Ga. 20. All the bronze sculptural pieces and carved tiles, and as many uncarved tiles as possible will be preserved and stored at city facilities until the City Center is constructed. At that time, these pieces will be incorporated into a new Veterans Memorial at the City Center, which will allow them to be more easily enjoyed by residents and visitors for generations to come. Plans for the new memorial will include War on Terror/ Iraq/ Afghanistan veterans.

It is anticipated that ground will be broken for the City Center by the end of 2019, and construction is slated to be complete within another two years.

In the meantime, most of the walkway, the flag display area, and all landscaping at the current Veterans War Memorial will remain in place. The city said it will repair the grounds and mow the grass every week, but there are no plans for the property.

Annual Memorial Day (held the Friday prior to Memorial Day) and Veterans Day Ceremonies will continue to be held at the current site (weather permitting) until the new Veterans Memorial is completed at the City Center.

The City’s Avenue of Flags, which features almost 250 American flags that have all been dedicated to the memory of a deceased veteran or veterans, will continue to be displayed at the current memorial site during the Memorial Day and Veterans Day events (weather permitting). A new area for the Avenue of Flags will also be incorporated into the design of the Veterans Memorial at the City Center. This new design will feature more space for the Avenue of Flags, allowing for new flags to continue to be added each Memorial Day for many years to come.

The current memorial was dedicated in 1992. The Mayor and City Council at that time commissioned artist Gregory Johnson to design the Veterans War Memorial in response to the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Guided by a five-member committee, the monument was designed to feature a pedestal representing each war from the Civil War through the Persian Gulf War. Each pedestal bears the names of Cumming and Forsyth County residents who fought and died in each respective conflict, and bronze sculptural pieces representing various items from the respective time period.

For more information about the history of the monument, visit cityofcumming.net and go to “Veterans War Memorial” under the Facilities drop-down menu.