Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - When Rev. Mark Blue appears before the Buffalo Common Council on Dec. 23, he expects to answer a lot of questions.
Rev. Blue, 5/14 Memorial Foundation president, said he doesn't mind.
Appearing before the council is all part of Rev. Blue's mission to have everything connected to the 5/14 Memorial open and transparent.
"Everything is on the up-and-up," Rev. Blue said.
Council members are asking for an update on the $1.1 million in American Rescue Plan funds that is allocated for the 5/14 Memorial site.
The funds, Rev. Blue said, have helped hire Chad Houston as interim executive director and a professional fund raiser as the foundation's capital campaign is set to kick off.
The money is also being used for other purposes related to creating a fledgling foundation and building the memorial.
"We are not asking for more money," Rev. Blue said. "But, we want to be transparent, so the council knows where are spending the ARP (American Rescue Plan) dollars."
Building the memorial - set for the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Best Street - entails securing ownership rights to 18 parcels - 14 that are city-owned and four that Ellicott Development is donating for the project.
The site is a gateway into the heart of the Jefferson Avenue business district and just a few blocks south of the Tops Friendly Market supermarket on Jefferson Avenue where 10 people died and three others were wounded in a racially-motivated attack on May 14, 2022.
And with the memorial comes a heavy dose of remembrance, education and healing, Rev. Blue said.
"For Jefferson Avenue, it will be like a phoenix," Rev. Blue said. "Jefferson Avenue will rise like a phoenix."
The memorial, called "Seeing Us" was designed by Jin Young Song and Douglas Alligood and selected from 23 designs submitted in 2023.
A revised rendering of the memorial will be released in early January as a prelude to the first of several community updates and meetings.
Also set to start in early 2026, a $15 million capital campaign to raise funds for the memorial.
"People won't give money to something that they can't see," said Rev. Blue.