Artist rendering of redesigned courtyard.

The first stage of a plan to redesign the courtyard between the House and Senate buildings in front of the state Capitol should be complete by September, and a pair of artist’s renditions of the finished project is on display in the House lobby.
Rep. Jerry Weiers, R-12, who sponsored legislation this year to revamp the expanse of concrete and grass between the buildings, said he has started soliciting donations from Valley businesses in an effort to finish the first phase of the project by this fall.
Phase I involves replacing the single flagpole with three separate poles — one for the American flag, one for the Arizona flag and one for the POW/MIA flag — and a monument to Arizona veterans.
Mr. Weiers said he is hoping to raise $5,000 apiece from seven local businesses in order to complete the $35,000 task.
The second phase, which will likely begin sometime next year, includes reworking the existing courtyard to include benches, large shade trees and bricks etched with the names of Arizona veterans. The bricks will be sold in order to raise funds for the project, though Mr. Weiers said a cost — either for the total project or the individual bricks — has not yet been decided.
“The main theme out there will be Arizona — copper and sandstone and petrified wood,” he said. “I think we can do some really cool things down here.”