Chamber repairs fallen plaques at Armed Forces Park
The Yuma County Chamber has 18 plaques left to repair that have fallen off the walls at the Armed Force Park. This is due to a byproduct of faulty glue, according to John Courtis, President of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce.
The park, that began honoring all past and present military personnel since 2002, has had 30 plaques fall off the walls, said Courtis . Of those, the Chamber has replaced 12 of them with a stronger adhesive and has plans to replace the remaining 18.
“When they fall from a high distance, they smash to smithereens,” Courtis said. Most that have fallen off are on the east and west walls of the park.
He said the issue with getting a new plaque is getting the exact 16 inches by 8- inch plaque. “I have to get a special cut of granite at 15 and ¾ inch by 7 and ¾ inch so I can get it in the hole,” he said.
It takes anywhere from five to seven weeks to order the specific cut of granite, explained Courtis .
The Chamber has turned to a stronger adhesive so the granite plaque can remain stuck to the cement wall.
Out of all the ones that have fallen down, Courtis said, there have been no signs of visible vandalism to remove any plaques. “They have just jumped off the walls because the glue hasn’t stuck,” he said.
The reports of feces in one area of the memorial site are true.
“When we first found out about it, the City of Yuma took care of it,” he said.” The Yuma Armed Forces Park is a City of Yuma park but managed by the Yuma Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a partnership,” Courtis added.
The Chamber said it expects to lose more over time but is willing to replace them all. Thanks to the vigilance of people on social media, the chamber is able to take action right away, said Courtis .
The park has filled the walls with 3,200 plaques and has room for 800 more but Courtis said there are future plans to expand the park making room for additional plaques.
Last year the park implemented a plaque locater. Anyone who visits www.armedforcespark.com can locate which plaque belongs to who throughout the park.
