Despite hurdles, war memorial restoration project in Tracy finishes ahead of Veteran Day
TRACY – With Veterans Day around the corner, a war memorial restoration in Tracy is now complete.
That memorial honors the 67 service men and women from Tracy who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The chain link fence is gone and construction is now complete, but this restoration went through a lot of hurdles, including time.
"Delay after delay after delay," said the President of the Tracy War Memorial Association, Bruce Cleaver.
It worried him.
"They gave the contractor, it's gotta be done by this date, and the contractor was going, we'll try, we'll try," he said.
The delays coming from securing enough funds.
"This project is two years in the making," he said.
It went out to the bidding process, where the project was still $54,000 short to complete the job.
"We do need money, additional funding for the project," said Cleaver at a Sept. 3 city council meeting.
Turning to the city council to get funding from another project in the city, to meet the bid and get it paid for.
The memorial is a testament to the veteran community.
"From World War I up to Afghanistan. We read their names, ring a bell for 'em," he said.
Cleaver, a veteran himself, served in the Air Force in the late 60's.
"It's amazing, it's amazing. First off, I didn't know I was going to live this long. You never know," he said.
So for him, it meant a lot to get the remodeled memorial done.
"My most favorite part is the flags, the six service flags," Cleaver said. "We have our plaques down here."
Overall the project cost nearly $150,000.
"They need to recognize the veterans more," he said. "They did an amazing job."
Friday the memorial will be cleaned and prepped for the Veteran's Day Ceremony Monday morning at 11 a.m. at the Tracy Community Center.
Everyone is welcome to join, as they celebrate and remember those who served.
