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Jacksonville officials preview permanent shade structure for Freedom Memorial Wall, estimate $5.7M–$6.8M cost
Summary
City staff and council members discussed a proposed permanent shade structure for the Freedom Memorial Wall to replace an annual rented tent, presenting design concepts, cost estimates and funding options including $200,000 already spent on design work and a possible $2 million CIP allocation.
Councilman Will Landon and Councilman Chris Miller convened a notice meeting with Harrison Conyers, director of the Military Affairs and Veterans Department, to discuss two veterans-focused projects; the first is a proposed permanent shade structure over the Freedom Memorial Wall at the stadium complex.
The design, funded so far by $200,000 from council strategic-initiative accounts, would replace the temporary tent the city currently rents for the Memorial Day ceremony. Conyers said the permanent structure is intended to provide year-round shelter and infrastructure: “not just the shade, for Memorial Day, but to really create a 365 day a year venue… provide the infrastructure there, the sound system and the fans that we need to help support that structure.”
The department presented two principal design options. The lower-cost option, described in the design study, was priced at $5.7 million; a version with a programmable perforated mesh and dynamic lighting was estimated at $6.8 million. Conyers said Haskell produced the initial estimate and the city intends to put the project up for competitive bid to try to lower the cost. He said the $200,000 design study was funded by Landon and Miller and “I think we're okay seeing what we think the cost is gonna be, somewhere between 6 and 7,000,000.”
Conyers described the structure as metal, perforated and covered with a clear membrane that casts star patterns into the arena; lighting options include static LED and programmable mesh capable of showing flags, team marks or commemorative images. He said the design also includes fixed fans and year-round controls that would avoid the current practice of zip-tying fans to a rented tent.
On funding, Councilman Landon said the proposed capital-improvements plan (CIP) includes $2 million for the project but that “we'd need 3 to 4,000,000 from other sources in order to go ahead and get going on this.” Landon and Miller discussed pursuing corporate sponsorships and public–private partnerships to fill the gap: “This doesn't have to be $6,000,000 of taxpayer dollars,” Landon said.
Councilman Miller urged quicker action and public outreach so potential partners know the project is moving forward. Miller said the shade structure should be the top priority of the two projects under discussion, citing the recurring cost of renting the tent and the need to make the memorial venue usable year-round.
Conyers added operational context: the wall hosts large Memorial Day crowds — he said attendance varied from about 1,900 to 3,000 in recent years — and the permanent structure would support other events and veteran-focused programming across the year.
No formal action or vote occurred at the meeting; staff said the next steps are to refine the estimate, pursue an RFP process for construction and continue outreach to potential sponsors.
Ending: Council members framed the shade structure as nearer-term and closer to implementation than the second project discussed at the meeting, and they agreed to continue pursuing a mix of CIP funds, corporate sponsorship and competitive procurement to reduce cost and move the design toward construction.
