State board hears broad public support for EMS memorial on Minnesota Capitol Grounds

Tina Chibuzu, a planner fellow with the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, opened a public hearing on an application to add an emergency medical services line-of-duty death memorial to the Minnesota State Capitol Grounds and summarized the regulatory review steps the board must take before a site can be selected.

The application to add the EMS memorial was submitted Jan. 9, 2025, by Adam S. Harvey, president and founder of the EMS LODD Memorial Foundation. Board staff found the application complete on March 7, 2025, and told the board it must determine whether the proposal meets the criteria in Minnesota Rules 2400.2703, subpart 2, before proceeding to site selection and design review.

The rules cited by staff require documented public support, lasting statewide significance, respect for Minnesota’s diversity and an educational or cultural value. Chibuzu told the hearing the board will consider written comments submitted during a 31-day public comment period that ran from June 9 to July 10, 2025, and the testimony taken at the hearing before making a recommendation to the board.

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