Inflation Puts Pause On Blanchard Veteran Memorial

The city of Blanchard is building a state-of-the-art veterans memorial, but due to inflation the project is only halfway finished.

"Prices have almost doubled so it's really a shame", said Blanchard's mayor Michael Scalf.

At the moment, the memorial is only bricks and blank walls, but the vision is one-of-a-kind.

"We owe it to our veterans to support them in any way we can," said Scalf.

The mayor said the project cost has risen in the last three years from $268,000 to $402,000 for the same memorial. The community has already raised $331,000 which leaves about $70,000 left to go.

"I want to thank all the local businesses and people that have provided so much," said Scalf Sr. "If we can get the money in the bank in time by the end of the year then we can order the rest of the products in time."

State leaders told Scalf that the memorial will attract visitors from all over as it recognizes all veterans from coast to coast.

"We have veterans from California to New York that have bricks in this memorial," said Scalf.

If enough money is raised in time, the next unveiling date is set for May 30th, 2024.

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