Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The 5/14 Memorial Commission continues to move toward constructing a lasting memorial to victims of the Tops mass shooting on May 14, 2022.
"We're close to securing a site," Reverend Mark Blue, Commission Chair,
told WBEN on Wednesday.
Fundraising is the next challenge for the commission. So far, $5 million has been allocated from New York State and $1 million from the City of Buffalo. The project is expected to cost $15 million.
"We're looking at everything and everyone," Rev Blue said with respect to fundraising.
"This rocked the whole world. we believe this is going to be a monument in which individuals will want to contribute; also corporate donors and the government."
Blue says he envisions a stand alone monument that people will look at to see how Buffalo handled the tragedy that has affected the community.
See renderings of the winning design, “Seeing Us”, which was chosen from 20 submissions back in May.
"We won't leave any stone unturned for those who want to donate to the monument," noted Blue.
In addition, Rev. Blue said the Commission is also looking at the logistics of managing the memorial once it's erected.
"We want to look at setting up an endowment that will take care of the monument in perpetuity for generations to come," he said.
The Commission hopes to break ground on the project in 2025.
The 5/14 Memorial Commission will meet on the first Monday of every month, excluding holidays, in the future. All meetings will be open to the public.