The Knowles Heritage Park in 麻豆精选 is fenced off in preparation for construction on the Rise Memorial, a site dedicated to the lives lost when a crane collapsed at a downtown construction site on July 12, 2021.
Rise Memorial Foundation Director Kelly Hutchinson said they have secured the final funds needed to make the project happen and an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
Hutchinson said family members of the victims - Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, Eric Stemmer, Patrick Stemmer, and Brad Zawislak - were the first to get the news.
"They were majorly relieved and enthusiastic about the project, as much as they can be in this circumstance."
The memorial site will be a space for the whole community, Hutchinson added.
"I think its meaning is going to compound over the years as we see it get utilized for various purposes and all sorts of grieving and remembrance. As much as we don't wish for anything there are bumps along the road that happen and now we have a place for the community to gather. It's unique."
The project has been awaiting funding after the province denied a grant of $150,000 in January of this year. Alongside the new funds, Hutchinson said the community raised about $300,000 themselves, and the City of 麻豆精选 and Mission Group committed additional contingency funds to the memorial.
Learn more about the plans for the memorial at uwbc.ca.
