PARKLAND, Fla. – Wednesday will mark six years since the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
The 17 lives lost will be memorialized by the South Florida community with a project that has been years in the making.
Construction already underway on plot of land that is a little more than an acre in size.
The land that is the former site of the Heron Bay Golf Course will be the future home of the memorial. It was donated by the North Springs Improvement District.
Tony Montalto, who lost his daughter Gina that tragic day, now sits on the board of the Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation and gave a sense of what the memorial will be like.
“Beautiful, memorable and reflective of the 17 lives that were taken that horrible February day six years ago,” Montalto said.
The foundation already selected six finalists, which can be viewed by clicking here.
“We intentionally selected this land here behind us,” Montalto said. “It actually borders both Parkland and Coral Springs, cities which both had citizens taken in the tragedy.”
In March, six finalists who have submitted renderings of potential memorials will come in and provide updated information on costs, materials, and timelines.
“It’s more important to get it right than do it quickly,” said Montalto.
As with any project of this magnitude, its cost will be a factor and they’re hoping the community can help with donations.
“It’ll help us build a memorial in the grandeur that it deserves to be,” said Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation Chair Mike Moser.