CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Parkland 17 Foundations would like to hear the public’s thoughts on the three design finalists for a public memorial honoring the 17 victims of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Nestled in a peaceful nature preserve, the North Springs Improvement District donated an acre of land to the Parkland 17 Foundation.
It’s located about a mile from the school, on the border of Parkland and Coral Springs.
“We are in the final stages of picking the artists,” said Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Moser.
He is also chairman of the Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation.
“It is beautiful out here, it was probably the best place this memorial could be,” Moser said. “It is really going to allow those families and our community to heal. This area sits in the North Springs Improvement District and part of a nature preserve, a 150 acre nature preserve, and we could not have asked for a better spot.
“Although that site is very near and dear to everybody involved, especially the families, we want them to be able to come to a separate place, a place where they don’t have to remember that horrible tragedy as much as they need to remember their loved ones, and, once again, an area open to the public. Obviously the public can’t go onto a locked school property so better to have it out here where everyone can enjoy it.”
Moser was also the incident commander on the day of the February 2018 shooting.
“We have come a long way,” he said. “Obviously, the tragedy was over six years ago and we are so happy to be able to be at a point now where we are selecting the last of the designs and finally be able to make a decision and move on to the next phase which is constructing a beautiful memorial.”
Moser said not only can community members weigh in on which of the three finalists they prefer, but their comments will be shared with the artists.
“I think it is great we are allowing the community to be part of the design,” he said. “We want people to go to our website, and on that website there is going to be a survey where they can pick who they think is the best design. They will also be able to give us input on any of the designs so we can take that public input and give it to the artists to see how much of those things the artists can use in the design, and that comment section in going to be open for about six weeks until about the end of August so we can make sure we get enough input in and that input will be brought back to the board.”
Manuel and Patricia Oliver, who lost their son Joaquin in the 2018 school shooting, continue with their advocacy work to ensure no other parent in America has to plan a memorial for a murdered child.
They say they appreciate the modest but moving tribute garden memorial on campus.
“That means a lot to us because that is being maintained by other moms in the community that they really believe that these 17 hearts have to be honored,” said Patricia Oliver.
Their daughter, Andrea, works on the Parkland 17 Memorial planning.
“We relayed that responsibility on our daughter,” said Manuel Oliver. “She has better tastes for those sort of things, and she is working with other families to make a final decision.”
Added Moser, “We are looking for donations, this memorial is going to cost a lot of money to make. We really need some help building this memorial. There is a donate button on the top right hand corner of the page, we would love for people to go there, they are going to be going there anyway to fill out the survey and the public comment, so while you are there, please make a donation.”
The board is seeking to make a final decision by the end of the year, with the hope to have it complete by end of 2025.
That depends, as Moser explained, on construction timelines and fundraising efforts.