That’s on top of the original price tag:

The price tag for the project has ballooned to an estimated $7.5 million — including $6 million in public funds — from an original budget of $1.5 million that was supposed to be funded entirely through private donations from Tribute to Liberty.

Lifetime $8.5 million cost for a slab of granite and some metal rods. Some contractor’s palms had to have been greased here.