COBB COUNTY, GA — Groundbreaking remains on hold for a long-planned veterans memorial in Cobb County after commissioners failed to approve the final $1 million needed to move the project forward.

The memorial, slated for a site near the Cobb Civic Center, has been in development for more than a decade. Veterans who packed Tuesday’s meeting voiced frustration after commissioners rejected the request to use additional SPLOST funds.

Some in the crowd shouted in anger when the board recessed after the vote. One attendee yelled, “Because you get to sit there because of my brothers and sisters that died!”

Veterans like Skip Bell said the county has had years to deliver on its promise. “I have heard most of you state at one time or another that you honor the service of our veterans; this is your chance to prove it,” Bell told commissioners.

Painter Dixson Lester, another veteran who addressed the board, questioned why funding has been delayed. “All the funds that you have available for 10 years, I cannot understand in 10 years why we couldn’t have already had this done,” he said.

Commission Chair Lisa Cupid said while the board supports moving ahead with the memorial, they will look for other ways to cover the cost instead of drawing from extra SPLOST funds.

For now, supporters say the project cannot break ground until the remaining $1 million is secured.

WSB’s Jennifer Perry contributed to this story