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Cemetery board orders flags and flagpoles, weighs a costly veterans obelisk
Summary
The Calvert City Cemetery Board agreed April 27 to proceed with ordering flags and flagpoles for a veterans memorial and to phase work on a monument after members heard stone and installation quotes that could push total costs toward $46,000–$50,000.
The Calvert City Cemetery Board on April 27 voted to move forward with purchasing flags and flagpoles for a planned veterans memorial area while deferring a decision on a large stone monument until budget constraints are clearer.
Board members heard cost and installation details from John Ward, who said suppliers quoted a three‑piece, roughly 16‑foot obelisk in stone at about $36,000 (gray) and about $39,000 (black), and that shipping, handling and crane work for engraving could raise the total closer to $46,500–$50,000. "They have to have a crane to actually rotate it to do any engraving on it," Ward said, noting the assembled obelisk would be heavy and require a concrete footer.
The board agreed flags and poles are a lower immediate cost and could be installed first. Ward estimated seven mounted flagpoles and flags would cost under $20,000 and suggested buying the poles and flags now while placing monument funds in the next year's budget if necessary. "We can get everything except the monument in this year's budget and then put the budget money back in the budget again next year for the monument," Ward said.
Members discussed alternatives, including smaller locally produced stone features and a bronze eagle option, and raised site and visual concerns. Ward described the intended layout with the monument centered and service flags (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard) arrayed around it and the American flag positioned behind the group so it would be visible from Phoenix Road.
The board also covered practical details for monument installation: the obelisk is shipped in pieces and must be pinned and craned into place, with a substantial concrete footer required to bear the weight. Ward said engraved pavers would be offered to the public as part of a fundraising or donor program; the bricks can be laid and later pulled to set a monument if the board stages construction in phases.
The meeting closed with the board authorizing procurement of flags and poles and directing staff to continue seeking options and bids for the monument with an eye toward cost containment and phased installation.
