After receiving 188 memorial design submissions and narrowing them down to 13 contenders, the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission (SHPMC) invited the 26 families who lost loved ones on 12/14 to review those selected designs and offer input if any wished to do so.

The SHPMC and a member of its Advisory Panel, Bob Mitchell, met at Edmond Town Hall on March 8, to go over the families' feedback on each of those 13 designs and discussed how the community can participate in the process.

SHPMC Chair Kyle Lyddy said 13 of the 26 families had submitted input, with more anticipated to contribute. Families were invited to provide feedback by e-mail, by phone, or in person during either of two private scheduled forums.

Individuals were encouraged to submit a form that prompted them to relay what they liked, were indifferent about, or what they disliked about each design. Some of those 13 families had multiple members submitting comments, which resulted in more than 20 individual forms submitted.

JoAnn Bacon, a SHPMC member and mother of victim Charlotte Bacon, relayed that most of the families participating saw aspects of the designs they disliked, but overall were able to identify top choices from the 13 presented.

SHPMC member Dan Krauss added, "I think it went really well."

Mr Lyddy led the group in discussing all of the positive, indifferent, and negative comments each design received, while keeping the families' who submitted the feedback private.

A reoccurring topic of discussion, that was brought to the forefront of the commission's attention from the families' input, was the aspect of some designs asking for the inclusion of victim's artwork or for each family to submit a story about their loved one.

Although some families would be interested in incorporating those personal details, some have reservations, while others are adamant that it is not something they want in the town's permanent memorial.

The commission discussed potential negative outcomes if one family chose to submit additional information in the design and others did not. Out of respect for the victims and their families, all agreed there would be equal representation of all victims honored by the final memorial design choice.

As the SHPMC continues to receive feedback from the remaining families, it also welcomes public review and feedback about the finalist's designs. All 188 submitted designs are available digitally on the commission's website under "Phase 1-A: Design Submissions," while the top 13 are available under "Phase 1-B: Chosen Designs."

There is a form available on the website that can be filled out and sent to communityshpmc@gmail.com.

The public is also invited to view the top designs at the SHPMC's upcoming workshops March 15, from 7 to 9 pm, at the Newtown High School Lecture Hall; and March 17, from 9 to 11 am at the Newtown Municipal Center's Council Chambers.

The next regularly scheduled SHPMC meeting will be Thursday, April 12, where the commission anticipates reviewing all the community feedback they received and creating a short-list of three to four chosen designs.

For more information on the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission, visit sandyhookpermanentmemorial.com or e-mail the commission at sandyhookpermanentmemorial@gmail.com.