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Local Government & Politics

Virginia Beach mass shooting memorial is a step closer to reality after city hires planning consultant

The Virginian-Pilot
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Community members hold hands and pray around the 12 crosses at the memorial located by Building 11 of the Municipal Center on Sunday, June 2, 2019. Twelve crosses were placed at the memorial to honor the 12 victims of the mass shooting that took place at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on May 31, 2019.

Community members hold hands and pray around the 12 crosses at the memorial located by Building 11 of the Municipal Center on Sunday, June 2, 2019. Twelve crosses were placed at the memorial to honor the 12 victims of the mass shooting that took place at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on May 31, 2019. (Sarah Holm / The Virginian-Pilot)

Virginia Beach — A memorial to honor the victims of the May 31, 2019, mass shooting at the city’s municipal center is finally moving forward after delays.

It took longer than expected for the city to find a consultant to facilitate the memorial planning process, according to an email from city spokeswoman Julie Hill.

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Twelve people were murdered and four severely wounded by a city engineer on that day nearly two and a half years ago.

Last December, the City Council agreed to form a memorial committee and hire two consulting firms to work on the project. Those plans stalled due to the lack of response to Virginia Beach’s requests for proposals, Hill wrote.

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Now, the city finally has a contract with a consulting firm and is gearing up to accept applications for committee members. On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on the committee membership and duties.

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Virginia Beach will pay California-based Kearns & West $115,000 to facilitate the memorial process. The national communications firm provides community outreach and mediation for the public and private sectors, according to its website.

Kearns & West will serve as the family and survivor liaison, creating opportunities for them and the community to provide input.

The “5/31 Memorial Committee” will consist of two City Council members, at least two design professionals with experience in architecture, one mental health professional, three members of the general public including two directly impacted by the 5/31 tragedy, the consultant and one representative from the city’s historical preservation commission.

Its members will create a “vision” for the memorial and build consensus on the design. They will also select a preferred location for the memorial and make final recommendations to the City Council, according to the city.

A questionnaire and application will be available soon. Interested applicants will have the opportunity to state why they want to be on the committee.

The consultant will review the answers and make recommendations to the City Council, which will appoint the members, probably in about a month, Hill wrote.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com

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