WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission will consider six design submissions for a permanent memorial at its meeting next Tuesday.
A large memorial will be built in Grede Park downtown, and a small memorial will go along the original parade route on Main Street.
The six designs come from individual artists or architectural companies. Five of them are from Wisconsin and one of them is from Georgia. Each presented intricate plans, which include benches, landscaping, plaques, or unique symbols. Some designs offer the option to include the names of those who died, along with spaces to place tributes or flowers.
The memorial will honor the six people who were killed and the dozens more injured in the tragedy last year.
The commission will meet on Tuesday, July 26 to try to narrow the six submissions down to three options. Then those three artists will present at the next meeting by the end of September, which is when they hope to make a final decision.
"Every single memorial is going to speak to the people who have lived through this. And it will be a really difficult decision to pick the top three," said Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly. "They really did think about how to help the community heal and also show our strength."
The commission is made up of city leaders, stakeholders from businesses and organizations, and those directly impacted by the parade tragedy.
Anyone is welcome to share their thoughts in public comment.
The project will need donations. If you want to make a contribution, you can do that right now through the Waukesha County Community Foundation. It is a separate campaign from the fundraiser which directly benefits the victims.
The goal is to begin construction in March 2023 and dedicate the memorial in November 2023.
