The Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission (SHPMC) conducted an online meeting to receive updates from First Selectman Dan Rosenthal and the project’s designers on February 4.

The commission last met in October 2020, and SHPMC Chair Dan Krauss informed the group that they would not be planning regularly scheduled monthly meetings for 2021. Instead, they would meet on an “as needed basis” to keep informed on the project.

Rosenthal started off by thanking members of the design team — including representatives of SWA, Downes Construction Company, and Artemis Landscape Architects — for attending the meeting to lend input.

He let the commission know that they now have “a very good cost estimate” that puts them on track with the $3.7 million budget that was decided at the end of 2019.

With the budget in order, Rosenthal said that the Legislative Council unanimously approved sending the project to referendum for April 27, 2021.

“The next part of the process is the Board of Selectmen will start the appropriations process at our next meeting, February 16, then it will go to the Board of Finance the following week, and then to the [Legislative] Council March 3,” Rosenthal explained.

Now that the project is ready to move forward, he said that they can plan for some community outreach in March in preparation for the public to hopefully endorse the project in April.

SWA Presentation

Dan Affleck and Ben Waldo of the design firm SWA, who created the design chosen by the commission, led a presentation on the project’s progress thus far.

“We’re so honored to be part of this process,” Affleck told the commission.

He gave a brief overview of where the project started in terms of its original schematic design and its rough estimate cost of $10 million.

Upon teaming up with Downes Construction Company, they were able to revise the project and bring the cost down to $6 million.

After being asked by the town to get the cost down even further, they created three options at lower price points, including “option three,” which cost $3.3 million.

He summarized that option three was seen by the commission as having too much of a reduction that caused it to lose some key elements.

Working off those notes to create an updated version, Affleck said, “We feel like we’ve come to a compromise at the $3.7 million mark.”

He explained that it still has many important components, including the central water element and the Sacred Sycamore, but it did see a reduction in plantings in the property’s design to reduce costs.

“The other thing that we preserved in the design is the stone, which we think is a critical element, because it connects to the local Connecticut landscape and also because of the message it sends about timelessness, strength, and durability, which will help future generations embrace this location and understand what happened,” Affleck said while showing an image of what the sample of stone from Vermont looks like.

He gave a cost breakdown and cited that the single biggest expense of the project is just preparing the site for necessities like a driveway, electricity, plumbing, etc.

Affleck then went over specific elements of the current design, including a President Barack Obama quote that the commission requested be integrated into the design. The excerpt comes from his speech at the Sandy Hook Interfaith Prayer Vigil at Newtown High School on December 16, 2012.

While showing a rendering of the design, Affleck said the quote was “simplified in terms of size and scale,” but it will be carved on a piece of metal that will sit on top of a monolithic chunk of stone. The stone will be tall enough so the text can be read at waist level.

The final graphic design of the text inscription has not been selected yet, and Affleck assured that they will consult with the commission before the final design is approved.

He added that the sacred soil they were also asked to integrate in the design somehow will be within that stone signage piece with the quote. It will also have a description for people to know the history of the sacred soil.

Waldo mentioned that where the stone is intended to be placed, “there are two large existing oaks and maples on either side of that, so we did intentionally position the path and the signage piece so that the memorial is framed between these two trees.”

The memorial he referenced was the central feature, the Sacred Sycamore and the water element around it, which Affleck said has been scaled down ten percent to help with the budgeting.

The seating around that main memorial element has also been adjusted to help with lowering the project’s cost. The design had originally called for a custom bench design, but now has a more cost-effective option that they have worked with before.

“We really think that this design creates a place that honors the memory of those lost and can really transmit a message to future generations of what happened, and create a place for people, the community, and the families to visit and feel that embrace of nature around them,” Affleck said. “I think we have all had a year where we could use some time in nature, where nature has been a friend. I think the idea of serenity that this site can provide [can] really be a powerful experience.”

Commission Feedback

SHPMC member Sarah Middeleer praised the design, saying “I really like it. It’s beautiful.”

She went on to inquire specifically about the yellow flowers depicted in the rendering and was curious what they were.

Tara Vincenta from Artemis Landscape Architects said that they were likely a graphic representation, but added that “It’s a beautiful site, and we are working hard to select plant material that will thrive there.”

Later in the meeting, members voiced similar views to Middeleer regarding the design’s beauty, as well as adding that it fits with the community.

Downes Construction Input

Rosenthal gave a shoutout to credit Bob Mitchell, who he said was unable to attend the meeting, for his work on getting the project to this point.

Rosenthal then directly asked if any other members working on the project wanted to add anything.

Michael MacDonald from Downes Construction Company spoke up to recount their process in the memorial.

“We had two cycles of budgeting, we did our own internal estimating, but we also engaged/selected sub-contractors in all the key trades and we got quotations from them of their evaluation of the designs,” MacDonald said.

He explained they have had three stone suppliers give quotes and the stone SWA liked the best was actually the most affordable and local.

“We feel very good about the numbers that we put together even though the design is at a mid-level stage of development,” MacDonald said.

Looking forward on the project, he said they have an eight-month construction schedule in place. Their hope is to get started in early summer and get most of the work completed “by the end of the season next year, then do the planting in the spring of 2022.”

On the 10-year mark of 12/14, he believes there will be a good growing season in place.

Middeleer inquired if any plantings could be done in fall of 2021, and MacDonald said some of the trees may be able to be staked in.

Vincenta added, “A lot will depend on the site conditions and how much site work has been completed. We certainly don’t want to plant trees, or shrubs, or things that are tender that could get destroyed… but I do think there are some [opportunities] to get started [in the fall].”

Rosenthal said that moving forward he would like to put together some sort of virtual meeting where the public could log in to learn about the project.

SHPMC member and former First Selectman Pat Llodra inquired if they could have renderings of the design put on display in public places, to give people the opportunity to view them and have a better understanding.

Rosenthal said that is a good point and that they can do that. He added that they can also make a tab on the Town of Newtown’s website with the renderings.

For more information about the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission, visit newtown-ct.gov/sandy-hook-permanent-memorial-commission.