2023 will mark the 100th anniversary of the start of construction of Joplin’s Memorial Hall, built to honor the men and women who serve in the US military. Next month a 30-million-dollar bond will be on the ballot; if passed, it would allow the city to rehab and substantially update the structure, which was most recently remodeled in the late 1970s.

Dr. Mark Farnham is running for Joplin city council in Zone 4; he says the question isn’t whether or not Joplin should spend millions to redo the hall, but rather. “No matter how much money is spent on Memorial Hall, will it ever really serve the purpose of paying respect to our veterans?”

Farnham says that he supports an outdoor memorial with the names of veterans etched in stone rather than spend possibly tens of millions on an old building that has not been maintained. In-person voting for municipal and city elections in Missouri takes place on April 5.