By Valerie Baldowski
vbaldowski@henryherald.com

The cracks and scratches on the Veterans Wall of Honor, in McDonough, are expected to be repaired by May, a county official said.

“Our target day is Memorial Day, when we’ll be finished with all of these minor repairs,” said Henry County Manager James “Butch” Sanders. “We are giving it the attention it certainly deserves.”

The county manager said he expects the repairs can be completed for less than $5,000. Sanders said the county has a very “real concern and interest” in making the Veterans Wall of Honor the best of its kind.

“We’ve set a little money aside, and we’ve already begun making some of those repairs,” he said.

The Wall of Honor Preservation Committee, an eight-member volunteer group headed by Smith-Barnes Elementary School Principal Mike Eddy, saw that cracked flag holders, along with scratched and cracked concrete at the McDonough monument, appeared to be worsening since they were discovered more than a year ago.

The group, formed in November, asked the county to lend its financial backing to the repair efforts.

“What we’re concerned about is that water is getting underneath the concrete,” Eddy said.

The monument includes thin, concrete pavers which can be engraved with an inscription, Eddy noted. “The pavers are not level, and when it rains, some pavers are sinking into the ground,” he added. “Water is pooling there, and there is water damage.”

Additionally, he said some of the lights illuminating the staircase are filling with rainwater because they are not sealed properly.