Tuscola students propose flood memorial at Waynesville Fire Station; foundation provides seed funding

Josie Ostendorf, a senior at Tuscola High School and co‑lead of the school’s Impact U club, presented a proposal to the Haywood County Schools Board for a public flood memorial to be installed at the Waynesville Fire Station.

Ostendorf told the board the project will honor the “resilience, unity and strength of our community and first responders” following Hurricane Haley. She said the sculpture will be stainless steel, roughly 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, in a pentagon‑pyramid form with laser‑cut images wrapping each side. The main symbolic element will be hands — representing rescuers, volunteers, maintenance staff and residents who helped after the flood.

Timeline and support: Ostendorf said the group plans a groundbreaking on Sept. 27, the one‑year anniversary of the storm, with installation planned for May 2026. The proposal has received support from Tuscola High School administration, the Waynesville fire chief, the Waynesville Art Commission and Waynesville Town Council; Waynesville Public Works has offered installation help pro bono. The Haywood County Schools Foundation served as the project fiduciary and contributed $5,000 to launch fundraising.

Ostendorf invited the community to the Sept. 27 remembrance and said students from elementary through high school will be invited to participate in fundraising and to contribute traced handprints and messages for the groundbreaking display.

Why it matters: the proposed memorial is a student‑led public art project that aims to create a community space of remembrance and to involve students in local recovery and civic activity. The board received the presentation and offered encouragement; no vote was required or taken at the meeting.

Ending note: organizers are continuing fundraising and design work; the presenter said artist Grace Kathy (local metal artist) is preparing final design sketches and will finalize the storyboard for laser cut imagery.