Plans have been announced to build a park that will host the world's tallest flagpole in Maine. The total cost of the park and the pole would come in around a billion dollars.
Morrill Worcester, the board chairman for Wreaths Across America, unveiled the project being named the Flagpole of Freedom Park, which will be built in Columbia Falls, Maine.
To put the park's size into perspective in an attempt to understand why it will cost so much, the flag is expected to be bigger than a football field, while the poll will be taller than the Empire State Building.
For reference, the Empire State Building is 1,454 feet tall.
The purpose of the park and the pole is to honor those who have fought to defend their country. Organizers say it will be the only place in America to honor the nation's 24 million veterans. It will also feature remembrance walls.
The billion-dollar budget is said to be paid for through private donations and will only cover phase one of the project.
"The great thing about this is it's not funded by the government. It's going to be privately funded. And we can't really give it the title of a national park, but it will have almost more meaning than a national park," Mike Worcester said, Pennlive.com reported. "It's built by the people to represent all of our veterans and their families and really teach about the future, the past of the country and unite everybody."
The park will create around 8,000 year-round jobs and 27 million in tax revenue yearly, according to those behind the project.
Along with the jobs and revenue, park organizers plan to bring in restaurants, shops, museums, and a hotel.
The project is not yet funded as the $1 billion still needs to be raised through donations, but the hope from organizers is to have it completed by July 4, 2026, the 250th birthday of America.
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