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The Proform crew in front of the completed cenotaph. Left from the bottom: City of Yellowknife's Director of Public Works Dennis Kefalas, Proform crew members Tony Albert, Syd Young, Edwin Materuis. Left from the back: Proform crew members: Junior Walsh, Cepuas Charley, Jason St. Croix, Kelly Dobson, Ramsey Butt, Lawrence Sutherland, Eric Antal, Nathan McLeod. - photo courtesy of Dennis Kefalas

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The city has had the cenotaph outside city hall revamped free of charge as part of this year's municipal roadwork.

About 60 hours of labour and a slew of materials totalling about $7,000 were donated by Proform Concrete Services of Red Deer, Alta, to overhaul the monument honouring war veterans.

"We do a lot of work for the city of Yellowknife and we look for a way to give back to communities we do work in," said Proform head Curtis Bouteiller.

"Remembrance Day is very important to our company," he added.

The company has been doing the city's concrete-related work, such as sidewalks and gutters, for about 15 years, he said.

That's why when Dennis Kefalas, Yellowknife's director of public works, approached him about adding the cenotaph reconstruction onto the work the company was already doing on 49th Avenue and the new civic plaza, Bouteiller declined extra payment.

Kefalas, one of two city employees behind the drive for a new monument, is extremely happy with the results.

"Flowers were planted every year but really all it was is just that one monument standing by itself with a little gravel path to it," he said. "It didn't really convey the honour that should have been bestowed upon the veterans of the past wars."

But now the revamped cenotaph - complete with a concrete pattern etched to look like the Victoria Cross - is something that stands out, said Kefalas.

Now it's something "somebody would be proud to come to and hold a vigil," he said.