Forum On 12/14 Memorial Draws Few Comments
After several reminders from Chairman Kyle Lyddy that the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission is not discouraged by low turnouts at their public information forums, Lions Club President Robert Schmidt suggested that there may be a good reason why so many seats in the high school lecture hall remained empty January 20.
“The diversity of your group inspires trust,” Mr Schmidt said. “Maybe that explains why not a lot of people are here tonight — they trust you.”
Neither that observation, nor the elementary questions about how many memorials might be planned, where those tributes to the 26 who lost their lives on 12/14 might be located, or when the committee planned to complete its work seemed to faze Mr Lyddy or the commissioners in attendance.
Those commissioners included Sarah Middeleer, Tricia Pinto, Vice Chair Alan Martin, Donna Van Waalwijk, Daniel Krauss, Joanne Brunetti, and Agni Pavlidou-Kyprianou.
Fewer than a dozen residents or others turned out for the meeting, but that did not dissuade three television crews from remaining on site for the duration, soliciting comments from attendees as they entered and staying to film the balance of the session.
Mr Lyddy did most of the talking, covering much of the background he has presented in previous public meetings. A second public forum is scheduled for the high school lecture hall on Thursday, January 29, at 7 pm.
Mr Schmidt was joined by his wife, Josie, and Pat and Paul Babbage, and George Osuch were among the few other residents on hand to ask questions.
During his opening remarks, Mr Lyddy revealed that the commission has been the target of some criticism over how slowly their agenda is moving, but Mr Lyddy said, “We are very comfortable with the pace we are moving — we’re in no rush, we want to get this right.”
When the Board of Selectmen set the commission on its course last year, First Selectman Pat Llodra encouraged the panel to move slowly and carefully, indicating that she expected the process to last for years, not months.
The chairman also indicated that while the majority of comments come from either residents or Sandy Hook Elementary School and school district staff members, occasionally, some valuable insights came to the commissioners from outside the community. He said that 12/14 had global impact, and so it would not be unusual for questions or feedback to come from far beyond Newtown.
He reminded the small gathering that while commissioners were receptive to any and all feedback, “the 26 families will be the first and last people we will reach out to” for commentary.
18 Of 26 Families Involved
So far, Mr Lyddy said, the commissioners have received comments from 18 of the 26 families who suffered the loss of loved ones on that day, and four of those families are represented on the memorial commission.
He said some of the surviving family members who were initially contacted for input early on in the process expressed that it was too soon for them to be involved, but several have since come forward with some guidance or commentary.
“Some don’t want to be part of the process,” Mr Lyddy said. “And others have provided great insight.”
The chairman said that as part of the information gathering, the commission approached fire and police representatives and received minimal response; however, he said the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps response mirrored the commission's goals of involving as many immediate survivors as possible.
He said the commission has received more than 300 responses through “digital forums” that were presented, and more than half of those responses came from Sandy Hook School staff.
Turning to the subject of possible location, Mr Lyddy said while much public sentiment pointed to locating a permanent memorial in Sandy Hook, there were very few immediate locations available.
Location Committee chair Mr Martin said his group is examining all town and state-owned land, as well as property maintained by Newtown Forest Association and possible privately owned parcels that might be donated for the purpose of siting a memorial.
“There are a lot of potential sites,” Mr Martin said. “We’ll likely come up with three to five final [recommendations].”
Fairfield Hills Option
Mr Lyddy said Fairfield Hills has “also come up a lot,” but the challenge is finding “the right fit” between a planned memorial and its location.
“It needs to be a destination, not somewhere I drive by every day,” he said. Responding to further questions, Mr Lyddy said the size and number of possible final memorials is still “an open-ended question.”
He said the site or sites need to be publicly accessible, but secluded enough so traffic or other noise would not interrupt visitors coming to view or pay their respects. Mr Lyddy said that security against vandalism is another concern which will have some influence on the site.
He said one suggestion involved a mural, which might have to be located inside versus outside, and that he did not foresee there being multiple memorials. Mr Lyddy added that residents and others involved in the memorial for Columbine, Colo., have been among the best resources for the commission.
In reviewing other input from Sandy Hook School staff and families, he said 90 percent of the school staff responding and 95 percent of families support the idea of creating some type of memorial, and more than 90 percent of respondents from that group want to see a physical memorial versus an abstract tribute like a scholarship fund.
As the forum drew to a close, Tricia Pinto, who lost her son in the incident, said that she is expecting to see more robust public participation once the commissioners announce either a solid design concept or a presentation on possible siting.
When asked which comes first, concept or location, Commission Vice Chair Alan Martin replied that even that question was still up for discussion among commissioners.