Share Your Thoughts on Designs for the 5/31 Memorial

The City Council-appointed 5/31 Memorial Committee is still seeking feedback on the two design concepts submitted and presented by the finalist design firms for the permanent memorial. As previously announced, a survey on SpeakUpVB.com opened March 3 to share input, which will close today, Thursday, March 23, at 11:59 p.m.

The community has an additional feedback opportunity via a Telephone Town Hall on Monday, March 27, from 7-8 p.m. This session will be led by Dr. Larry Schooler of Kearns & West, the consulting firm contracted by the City to facilitate the memorial planning process. Individuals interested in participating can register online at City of Virginia Beach, VA Teletownhall Sign Up (wufoo.com) by 4 p.m. on March 27. Registered participants will receive a phone call at the time of the meeting.

Those who prefer to participate without registering can call the numbers below.

• For English, call 888-410-3427
• For Spanish, call 844-881-1317

The finalist firms are Dills Architects with SWA and Rhodeside Harwell Inc. (RHI) with Kirkland Studio. Team profiles can be found at www.loveforvb.com/memorial/design-firm-finalists. Display boards featuring the design concepts are also located in Building 1 and at the Central Library.

The 5/31 Memorial Committee will meet from 3:30-9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, at the Virginia Beach Economic Development Conference Room, 4545 Main St., Suite 700 in Town Center, to review family, survivor, staff and resident feedback on the design concepts. The committee will then adjourn to closed session to evaluate both submissions and determine its design recommendation to City Council. The meeting is open to the public until adjournment.

The March 27 and March 29 meetings will be livestreamed on www.virginiabeach.gov and facebook.com/cityofvirginiabeach.

About the Project

Last fall, the City issued a Request for Qualifications to solicit submissions from professional design teams across the nation who were interested in and capable of creating a serene place of quiet reflection and healing for all those impacted by and in remembrance of those lost and injured on 5/31. In November 2022, the 5/31 Memorial Committee reviewed all submissions received by the deadline and selected two firms to move forward to the next phase of the competition. On March 2, each firm made presentations of their conceptual designs to the committee. These presentations and full written proposals are shared on LoveForVB.com.

Committee Background

City Council appointed 13 members to the committee, representing a cross-section of the community and including family members and affected staff members. The City hired consulting firm Kearns & West to facilitate the committee and memorial planning process, to serve as a liaison to the families and survivors and to create multiple opportunities for the families, survivors and community to provide input into the planning process. For more information on the committee, visit LoveForVB.com.