Ohio veterans memorial delayed as demolition work extended

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The demolition of a Columbus veterans memorial will cost more and take months longer than expected, delaying the construction of a much larger, $55 million memorial and museum planned for the site, officials learned Thursday.

Project managers discovered late last year that the foundation of Franklin County Veterans Memorial supports parts of a miles-long floodwall that holds back the Scioto River if it overflows, The Columbus Dispatch reported. County commissioners were asked Thursday to extend the contracts of two companies hired for post-demolition work. The county will also be soliciting bids for work to remove the building’s foundation while protecting the floodwall.

The demolition, which was expected to be finished by April, will now take several more months, officials said.

The contract extensions and additional underground work is expected to cost about $3.3 million, pushing the total cost of clearing the land to about $4.8 million.

Following the demolition, the county will turn the site over to the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, which is overseeing the new $55 million statewide memorial and museum. Development officials said they had hoped to start on the new facility by late spring, but won’t be able to begin until late summer due to the demolition setback.

Plans for the new Ohio Veterans Memorial and Museum include a high-tech, glass-walled museum and memorial grove as well as a promenade that will wrap around the building and rise to a rooftop sanctuary.

Construction of the new memorial is expected to take about two years.