Town & Country's Military and First Responders Tribute at Town Square has its ribbon cutting on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 11 a.m., at 13360 Clayton Road. The groundbreaking was also held on a Veterans Day, and at that ceremony the goal was to open by the following Veterans Day.
The project is small, and residents, area businesses and nonprofits paid for it. Along the way it missed earlier targets and took on a cost increase that sent the city looking for more money. Even this month, with the opening date set, the city is still taking donations for the last details.
Four years from drawing to ribbon
The idea predates the groundbreaking. The city's concept presentation to the Board of Aldermen is dated October 10, 2022, so the opening comes about four years after the first public drawings. West Newsmagazine covered the Veterans Day groundbreaking, and its follow-up story covered the 2025 contract vote.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 10, 2022 | City presentation shows the concept. A full build is estimated at $363,500, with a $210,000 Phase 1 option |
| Veterans Day, November 11, before the 2025 vote | Groundbreaking at Town Square. West Newsmagazine reports a $300,000 budget raised entirely from private donations |
| March 24, 2025 | Board of Aldermen votes unanimously to direct the city administrator to enter a construction agreement with Musick Construction |
| February 2, 2026 | Parks & Trails Commission hears that construction costs came in $40,000 over the earlier estimate |
| October 2026 | City newsletter says the tribute is under construction and still accepting donations for finishing touches |
| November 11, 2026 | Ribbon cutting, 11 a.m. to noon |
The targets kept moving. At the groundbreaking, Ward 4 Alderman Sue Allen told West Newsmagazine, "We hope to have the tribute completed by Veterans Day next year and be back here for a ribbon cutting, if not before then." By the March 2025 vote, the goal had become getting the contract itself finalized by Veterans Day 2025, West Newsmagazine reported. That same report said the resolution set up an ordinance for the Musick contract to go to the board seated after the April 8 municipal election. So the project passed from one Board of Aldermen to the next, and the resolution put in writing that the board would see it through.
A $40,000 gap, and no tax line to cover it
The money is easier to follow than the schedule. The full 2022 concept was priced at $363,500. By the groundbreaking, the budget stood at $300,000, which was more than the $210,000 Phase 1 option but short of the full design.
Then, at the February 2, 2026 Parks & Trails Commission meeting, the minutes recorded that construction costs were "$40,000 higher than previously estimated" and that "efforts are underway to reduce the scope and raise additional funds." With no city appropriation in the reporting, closing that gap meant changing the design, asking donors for more, or both.
The fundraising never fully closed. In the October 2026 city newsletter, the city called the tribute "privately funded" and said, "we are still accepting donations through GoFundMe for a few finishing touches."
The people behind it were named in West Newsmagazine's groundbreaking coverage. Mayor Charles H. Rehm Jr. formed the task force, and Sue Allen led it. Its members were Michelle Francisco, Meg Johnson, Skip Mange, George Roman and Larry Toomey. Among the donors, the Stupp Bros. Bridge and Iron Co. Foundation Trust contributed. Army veteran John Stupp Jr. spoke at the groundbreaking about his family's military service, going back to his great-great-grandfather in World War I.
What's actually going into Town Square
The tribute was planned as a quiet place. At the groundbreaking, Allen described it to West Newsmagazine as "a quiet, respectful place where people can sit and think and appreciate the active military members, veterans and first responders."
The design reported at the groundbreaking includes:
- A reflective walk around a single stone engraved with four words: duty, sacrifice, courage and valor
- A seating wall with military and first responder crests
- An American flag hung on the stone
- A plaque reading, "Dedicated to those who served and continue to serve our country. Veterans, active military and first responders – from a grateful community."
The 2022 concept went into more detail. It listed a 9-foot recognition walk, a concrete seat wall, a boulder on a plinth, a dedication header, an engraved walk, branch medallions, a bronze flag, planting, lighting and irrigation. Since February's effort to reduce the scope, the city hasn't said whether any of those pieces changed. The best way to find out is to walk the path after November 11 and compare it to the drawings.
At the March 2025 vote, Allen put the purpose simply, according to West Newsmagazine. "It's just to be a place where someone who wants to honor our military and/or our first responders can walk over off the beaten path and be thankful."
The ribbon cutting on November 11
The city calendar lists the grand opening for Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from 11 a.m. to noon, at Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road. The October newsletter says more details are coming, so check the calendar listing for speakers and parking closer to the date.
Since it falls midweek and midday, it will be a short ceremony at the same site as the groundbreaking. The groundbreaking was also held on Veterans Day, with Allen and the task force there.
The tribute joins the city's holiday calendar
The tribute opens just as Town Square's busiest stretch of the year begins. Once it's built, the stone and seating wall will be part of the setting for the next city events held there. The October newsletter lists the season in order:
- Military and First Responders Tribute ribbon cutting, Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. At Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road.
- Turkey Trot, Thursday, November 26, 9 a.m. Starts at Longview Farm Park, 13525 Clayton Road. The newsletter describes a run/walk through the park and nearby neighborhoods on Thanksgiving morning and notes that the event "gets more popular every year, so be sure to register early!"
- Winterfest, Saturday, December 5, 1 to 5:30 p.m. Back at Town Square, with what the city calls "new activities, vendors, and entertainment for the whole family." It ends with the annual holiday tree lighting at 5:30 p.m.
Registration details for the Turkey Trot and the Winterfest lineup are posted through the city's calendar. The newsletter's advice to sign up early for the run is the one firm deadline-style note so far.
If you want your name connected to the tribute, the window is still open. The city's October newsletter says GoFundMe donations are going toward the finishing touches, and the city's Town Square page is the place to start for anything about the square itself.
At DeMaggio Partners, we like following projects like this one, where a group of neighbors spends years turning a 2022 drawing into something you can walk to on Clayton Road. If you'd like to talk about Town & Country, from Town Square to the streets around Longview Farm Park, we'd love to hear from you. Book a free consultation or get your home valuation whenever you're ready.
