In early 2009, retired Rear Adm. Ron Tucker asked artist Renee Palmer-Jones to design a veterans memorial for Anthem Community Park. She started by working out where the sun would sit at 11:11 a.m. on November 11, then sketched layouts around that single moment until she arrived at five pillars, a set of elliptical openings and a mosaic on the ground. Civil engineer Jim Martin and Steve Rusch joined the team. Tucker and Martin later described the hard part as getting both the azimuth and the elevation exactly right, as recounted in a DVIDS report.
This November 11, that design turns 15. The pillars that frame the sunbeam have spent most of 2026 on the Anthem Way Foundation's agenda. Specialists found water getting behind the marble. The board has approved a sealing schedule that costs several times its old budget line, and the way the pillar tops will be fixed is still being priced with a month to go before the anniversary ceremony.
What the sunbeam actually depends on
Each of the five pillars stands for a branch of the military. At 11:11 a.m. on Veterans Day, sunlight passes through the ellipses cut into them and lands as a ring of light on a mosaic of the Great Seal of the United States. The memorial was dedicated on November 11, 2011. The Anthem Community Council says it became an Arizona Historic Landmark six months after that. A 2019 profile from Rick Engineering, where Martin worked, lists awards from the Arizona Historical Society, APWA, ACEC and the American Vietnam War Commemoration Partner program.
Foundation minutes from February 2026 describe the marble as a 1/8-inch laminate bonded to a backing substrate. The stone on top of each pillar is cut square, with 90-degree corners and no overhang, so water has nowhere to go except down the face. On a sunny Arizona structure, that is where the slow damage starts.
How 15 years of weather showed up in the minutes
Marble restoration specialists were brought in to repair stone and replace failing caulk. While they worked, they found water seeping behind the laminate and damaging the marble. The Foundation's August action brief puts it plainly: "Heat, rain, and the passage of time have all taken their toll on the Memorial."
The specialists made two recommendations. The first was to polish and seal the marble every two to three years. The quote for that was about $16,000, including any caulk replacement, and the line item had been budgeted at $2,600. The minutes note that the gap would take more fundraising to keep the Foundation cash positive. On February 25, 2026, the board approved the polishing schedule by a 6-1 vote. The one dissenting director said more information was needed before committing to that frequency.
The second recommendation was a cap with a drip edge on each pillar, so rain would be thrown clear of the face. Staff acknowledged that a cap could change how the memorial looks. For that reason the board formed a small working group to study options before choosing one. A partial fix was already in place: during the memorial's recent expansion, an extra piece of marble laminate went on top of two pillars to deal with surface erosion. The action brief says that does not stop water from moving behind the laminate.
Marble or stainless, and why the price drove it
The choices the board has weighed since February cover a wide range of cost.
| Option | Where it came from | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brushed stainless caps made to resemble the current sleeves, fabricated by DLC | Raised at the February 2026 meeting | About $1,000 |
| Porcelain caps | Discussed during the expansion project, per the February minutes | No figure given |
| Marble caps from Picasso Tile & Stonework | Recommended by the working group; resolution in the August 2026 packet | $35,549.83, not to exceed $40,000 |
| Stainless caps through a new quote | August 26 board direction, as reported by Citizen Portal | Must come in under $10,000 |
The working group chose marble because it matches the existing stone. Staff sent the scope to at least eight vendors. Picasso Tile & Stonework was the only one interested and able to do the job. The Foundation's posted August packet includes Resolution 2026-AWF-01, marked "ADOPTED this 26th day of August 2026." It directs staff to contract with the firm for marble caps and to "pursue fundraising opportunities to offset as much of the project cost as possible."
Other accounts of the August 26 meeting describe a different result, and the two versions haven't been reconciled in anything published since. According to an AI-generated meeting summary from Citizen Portal, the board authorized staff to "obtain stainless-steel quotes and proceed with cap replacement if cost is under $10,000." Staff are to bring quotes and renderings back before any contract is awarded. Citizen Portal's story on the meeting reports that veterans' representatives preferred the like-for-like marble repair, and that staff flagged the marble quote at close to $40,000 once contingencies were added. No transcript or approved minutes of that vote were posted when this was written.
The latest official status comes from the council's September 23 staff report, which lists "AVM Column Caps alternate method (stainless) - under costing and review." Nothing published so far confirms that caps will be on the pillars by November 11, or that the first round of polishing and sealing has been done.
The same pavers that built it now maintain it
The money question goes back to how the memorial was paid for. The original estimate was $125,000. The council provided the park space and start-up funds, and the rest was expected to come mainly from engraved pavers and donations. Under the original plan, a veteran's paver cost $150 and carried service details inside the Circle of Honor. Pavers from friends, businesses and organizations cost $200 and ring the outside. Current prices weren't in the materials reviewed for this post.
The Anthem Way Foundation, a 501(c)(3) formed in 2011 to support that fundraising, still sells pavers. Its 2026 packet reports 82 pavers sold in 2025 and 33 from January through July 31, 2026. Every cap quote and sealing cycle now depends on that stream, alongside the memorial's other recent work. A 2024 Foundation update said a 2023 expansion was finished, and that Martin and Haydon Construction had drawn up a new entry approach with no construction start date set. According to draft council minutes from September 9, the Foundation board planned a special meeting on October 28 to adopt its annual budget. That is where the sealing line and any cap contract would show up next.
The 15th-anniversary morning
The council's October 8 announcement gives this year's theme as "Legacy of Service: A Nation at 250 and A Memorial at 15." It also sets the schedule at the memorial, 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Pkwy.
- 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Breakfast available for purchase, with nonprofit booths.
- 10:00 a.m. The ceremony begins. CSM Joshua Holton of the U.S. Army is emcee, with opening remarks from council Board Chair Dave Duckworth and Director Aaron Baker.
- During the program Jim Martin speaks about the memorial. Pastor Lee Davis of Kings Church gives the invocation, Musical Theater of Anthem performs, and Youth for Troops helps place the wreaths. The Sandra Day O'Connor Air Force JROTC supports the event, and this year's Veterans Service Award is presented.
- 11:11 a.m. Sunlight passes through the five pillars onto the Great Seal.
Tucker, who first pitched the idea in 2009, gives the keynote. In the council's Veterans Day announcement, he said the ceremony and memorial give everyone "in Anthem, and beyond, the opportunity to simply say, 'thank you for your service.'" An August Foundation program update also listed an Air Force flyover. The October announcement doesn't mention one, so check the council site closer to the date. For a sense of crowd size, the Army Reserve reported thousands of residents and visitors at the 10th-anniversary ceremony in 2021. The council has not posted parking or seating guidance for 2026.
Before then, Community Park hosts Market in the Park, which the council lists for every other Sunday from October through May, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The council is also taking resident proposals for its 2026–2031 Facilities Master Plan through November 8, three days before the ceremony. To donate or buy a paver, go to the Anthem Veterans Memorial page on the council site.
At Alex LeBouton, we follow places like the Anthem Veterans Memorial because they shape what living in a community feels like day to day. If you'd like to talk through what's happening in Anthem, from council budgets to the Facilities Master Plan, schedule a consultation and we'll walk through it with you, calmly and without pressure.
