The borough is assuming all costs for a Freedom Rock memorial to honor veterans, relying on an 8-year-old community promotion fund to help cover much of the expense.

J.R. Meek, the borough’s marketing and community development coordinator, said the total cost for the monument and its placement is estimated at $54,330, which includes actual expenses and the use of borough personnel and equipment.

The assembly agreed to pull the remaining balance of $19,000 from the Marian Glenz Fund, which was established in 2018 after Glenz bequeathed $50,000 to the borough to promote Wrangell.

Glenz, who died in 2017, helped out at the museum and served for a decade on the town’s visitor bureau. The $50,000 was “to be used to promote Wrangell,” according to her will, as reported in the Sentinel in 2018.

Borough Manager Mason Villarma and assembly members agreed in budget deliberations last month that using the remaining money for the Freedom Rock memorial is an appropriate use of the funds.

Total expenses include commissioning the painting, artist travel, supplies, pouring concrete at City Park and building a protective structure over the rock. While Heritage Harbor was initially considered the top site for the monument, officials chose City Park.

According to Meek, logistics and site preparation are underway. A 6-foot-tall by 5-foot-wide boulder has been selected at the state rock pit by the airport; it will require power washing and sandblasting to get it ready for painting.

To help cover the project costs, Meek said Economic Development Director Kate Thomas recently applied for a $25,000 grant. 

The borough plans to host the artist from July 20 to Aug. 3 to paint the rock.

“We’re still working out the logistics for his travel and getting his supplies here,” Meek said. “If, for some reason, this falls through, then the goal would be to get it done by summer of 2027. But it would be nice to have it completed and in place this summer because of 2026 being America’s 250th anniversary year.”

The idea to set up a monument in Wrangell came from resident Jenn Miller-Yancey, who discovered the project while traveling by RV with her husband, Eric Yancey, in 2025. The couple encountered the artwork during a stop at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winterset, Iowa.

The Freedom Rock tradition began in 1999 in Adair County, Iowa, when artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II painted a large boulder as a thank-you message to veterans.

Sorensen, a 19-year-old college student at the time who was inspired by the movie “Saving Private Ryan,” received such a positive response from veterans that he returned to paint it again the next year. He has since painted similar rock murals in 10 other states.

He charges a fee of $13,500, which includes a $2,000 deposit, $1,500 for art supplies and a $10,000 payment upon completion.

The borough plans to utilize its promotional Travel Wrangell budget to cover his airfare, accommodations and supplies shipping, separate from the draw on the Marian Glenz Fund.