Fourth of July brings reflection as veterans monument nears completion

Construction of the Northern California Coastal Veterans Monument (NCCVM) on the grounds of the Point Arena Lighthouse has reached visible milestones, representing the latest steps in a decade-long effort made possible by years of donated professional expertise and community support.

Since spring, the monument has undergone a dramatic transformation. The project's six massive basalt columns, each bearing symbols representing branches of the U.S. military, were installed in April.

Concrete work, which began last week, is expected to be completed by Independence Day. Flagstone has been ordered for the walkways and column bases for installation later this summer, and Kevin Carman, one of the monument's original designers, has been commissioned to carve a basalt “eternal flame.”

As the project enters its final stages, NCCVM board President Kenny Jowers is reflecting on the volunteers and professionals whose generosity and expertise helped guide the planning and construction process.

“We couldn't have done it without them,” Jowers said. “Sometimes you really do think, from a spiritual sense, about where people come from when you need them.”

One of those people, Jowers said, came through an unexpected connection in Nevada. Jerry Mitchell, a landscape design and construction professional based in Reno, became involved with the project after meeting an NCCVM board member at a party.

With experience working with large-scale stone installations and a 40-year personal connection to the Mendocino coast, Mitchell now serves as both a board member and as project manager.

A particular skill set is needed to meet the safety requirements of a project involving multi-ton basalt columns. Mendonoma resident Adrian Adams is the project's structural engineer and has assisted with all the technical, structural, and safety aspects, ensuring compliance with county regulations.

A connection through Jowers' Gualala business, Physical Gym, brought him to local contractor Skylar Martin, who has worked with the team since the beginning of the construction phase. Martin has helped guide the building process as the monument moved from planning to installation.

Jowers also recruited fellow gym member and area architect Matthias Oppliger. Oppliger's years of dedication as the project's architect began by making the drawings required by the county for permit approval.

“He's had to do all of these things for all of these years to get us to where we are,” Jowers said.

Each of them has contributed their professional services—amounting to hundreds of hours of work—pro bono.

“Our board…could never thank them enough for the gift they've given to veterans through this monument,” Jowers said.

With Independence Day approaching, Jowers said that seeing the monument take shape has made this year's holiday especially meaningful. “I can't believe we're here,” he said.

The 10-foot-tall basalt columns now reflect the strength and service they were designed to symbolize.

“When you're involved in a project like this and you come up to a holiday that celebrates our independence like Fourth of July, you can't help but become very emotional about the people who fought for what we're celebrating,” Jowers said. “Because none of this would be possible without them.”

Jowers had the idea for the monument 10 years ago, and for many of those years the NCCVM board met weekly to move the project forward. Last week's first major concrete pour transformed those meetings into something tangible.

The board wanted to ensure that one of the monument's earliest champions remained connected to the project she helped launch. Board member Colonel Mary Margaret May, a fourth-generation military service member who served 30 years in the Air Force and six years with the Department of Defense, died in 2022.

During the first concrete pour at the monument's center, May's partner scattered some of her ashes into the foundation.

“We wanted Mary to be a part of this because she was such a vital part to the beginning of the creation of the monument,” Jowers said.

Board member and Marine Corps Vietnam veteran Chuck Cappotto placed one of his two Purple Hearts in the concrete, leaving a permanent piece of his military legacy within the monument.

Jowers said the project has also drawn emotional responses beyond the board, including from the Santa Rosa crane crew that helped install the basalt columns. Jowers said one worker expressed a desire to bring his son to visit the monument. “I thought that was pretty special,” he said.

Even in its unfinished phase, the monument inspired a donation from a veteran visiting from out-of-state. He read the information plaque at the construction site and later mailed a check.

Fundraising for the monument has largely come through the “Names Project,” which allows individuals to honor veterans by having their names engraved on granite panels surrounding the monument for a donation of $1,000.

Jowers explained that the monument was intentionally designed as a living monument to honor past, present, and future veterans. “We're setting up a foundation that will add people as they serve our country,” Jowers said.

The project has drawn participants from across the country, with many families choosing to honor veterans who have personal ties to the Mendocino coast.

With the construction schedule on track, a dedication ceremony is being planned around Veterans Day in November. “For some reason, somewhere, something in my head, many, many years ago, said we need to honor them,” Jowers said. “And I was fortunate enough that the universe guided me to the right people to make this happen.”

For more information about the project, visit norcalcoastvetsmonument.org.