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City partners with families and community groups to collect memorial ribbons for proposed public memorial
Summary
City staff and community members announced a plan to collect ribbons tied by residents after a flood-related tragedy and to preserve them as part of a future memorial; the project timeline and final design will be decided with the families of the victims.
City staff and community volunteers presented plans to collect ribbons that residents tied across the community following the Texas Hill Country floods and to preserve and transform them into a community memorial honoring four young people from Beaumont who were killed in the floods.
Jeff Wheeler described the initiative and said he had received blessings from all four families to proceed; collection bins provided by Colgan Industries will be placed at Rogers Park's Dowling parking lot for a two-week drop-off period from Sept. 2 to Sept. 16. Wheeler said a local artist, Inez Avredres, is collaborating on an artistic vision but that exact location, design and artistic elements are still fluid and will be shaped by the families' wishes.
Staff said the project will include digital and traditional outreach and that stakeholders across the community have indicated they will contribute funding and resources. Wheeler said the goal is a memorial that honors the lives lost and creates a place of remembrance and healing; staff asked council for time and support to proceed with collection and planning. Council members thanked Wheeler and expressed support for moving forward while continuing to consult the families about the memorial's design and location.
