The Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission (SHPMC) met at Newtown Municipal Center on the chilly winter evening of Thursday, January 9.

With a unanimous approval of past meeting minutes and no public participation, the group moved swiftly into discussing its 2020 calendar dates.

The SHPMC is scheduled to have its public meetings on the second Thursday of each month, with the understanding that not all meetings will take place.

The meetings will serve as a time when First Selectman Dan Rosenthal can keep the members in the loop as the town works with the selected permanent memorial design firm, SWA Group.

Mr Rosenthal assured the commission members that they will “still serve an important role” in the process and that he will seek their input on design questions when needed.

The 2020 calendar for regular meetings was approved unanimously.

Status Update

The main item on the agenda for the night was the status update about the permanent memorial.

After the commission reviewed the most recent design revision during a special meeting on November 25, Mr Rosenthal has been in communication with SWA Group as it finalizes contracts to move forward with the project.

Mr Rosenthal explained that the design firm is still crafting the paperwork and that the group has already expressed interest in working with local arborists, subcontractors, and subconsultants. He assured the commission that the contract will be sent to him soon.

Additionally, Mr Rosenthal mentioned that the permanent memorial’s allotment in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was brought up during the Legislative Council’s recent meeting. With no setbacks there, the next phase is for the town and commission to create community engagement around the project, he said.

Mr Rosenthal added that it is “important we get it right” and not rush the process of making sure the community knows about the selected design.

With that in mind, the goal is to get the permanent memorial design project on the referendum for November 2020.

“Everything is on track,” Mr Rosenthal said.

Suggestions Shared

During the status update discussion, members were invited to share their thoughts on the current design after having had more than a month to reflect upon it.

Some members inquired if the new design had completely eliminated seating around the Sacred Sycamore, which would be a concern.

SHPMC member and former Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra pulled up the designers’ renderings on her tablet, concluding that there has been a “significant reduction in seating.”

JoAnn Bacon, SHPMC member and mother of Charlotte Bacon, who died on 12/14, said that even though the seating was reduced, she still felt like there was an adequate amount.

Tricia Pinto, SHPMC member and mother of Jack Pinto, who also died on 12/14, brought up the idea of incorporating the 26 benches that had been donated to the group years ago into the design for additional seating.

The idea was brought up that they could potentially be used on the sides of the pathway leading to the memorial and they could be put in alphabetical order.

“It would be a shame not to use them,” SHPMC Vice Chair Alan Martin said.

Owned by the town, the benches are currently stored at a private residence.

Mr Rosenthal said he would mention to the designers that the benches were something of interest to the committee now and see if they could be added into the design.

SHPMC members Agni Pavlidou-Kyprianou and Sarah Middeleer also brought to Mr Rosenthal’s attention that they would like to request the designers send the commission samples of some of the material options they are considering using in the design.

“I will have to contemplate that,” Mr Rosenthal said.

Ms Llodra mentioned that during the construction of the new Sandy Hook Elementary School building, she had been able to review materials during the construction phase, but not the design phase, which is where the commission currently stands with the permanent memorial design. She added that the designers will have to create a materials list and color palette anyway, which the group could request to see.

To contact the SHPMC, e-mail sandyhookpermanentmemorial@gmail.com.