The committee behind a new veterans’ memorial in Des Moines County is working on a tight timeline.
The Mississippi Valley Veterans’ Memorial will eventually stand near the Burlington Regional RecPlex.
Committee Member Gary Roberts said it will feature the names of veterans from throughout the region, not just southeast Iowa.
“We are going to try to have it finished and dedicated hopefully, hopefully, hopefully no later than July 4, 2015," said Roberts.
Roberts says several committee members came up with the idea of building a memorial in Burlington after a visit to Keokuk several years ago.
He says they were taken aback by Keokuk's Veterans' Memorial, enough so that the Mississippi Valley Veterans' Memorial will resemble Keokuk's.
The memorial is expected to cost about $500,000.
Roberts says fundraising is still underway and names can still be added.
About 150 people attended a groundbreaking for the project this month.
Roberts says thousands of names will be added, including one from the Civil War and one from the Revolutionary War.
