Finalist design firms to share concepts for 5/31 memorial

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The City Council-appointed 5/31 Memorial Committee is expected to meet with two design firms chosen to discuss concepts for the permanent memorial honoring the lives lost on May 31, 2019.

The next meeting will take place from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday at the Virginia Beach Economic Development Conference Room, 4545 Main St., Suite 700 in Town Center.

The meeting is open to the public and will also be available via live streaming on the City of Virginia Beach website and the city’s Facebook page.

During the meeting, the committee will hear from the two finalist design firms as they share their concepts for the permanent memorial.

In late December, city officials narrowed down the options to two firms. Using a combination of numerical scoring and consensus process facilitated by Dr. Larry Schooler of Kearns & West, the committee selected two finalist teams:

• Dills Architects with SWA
• Rhodeside Harwell, Inc. (RHI) with Kirkland Studio

On March 2, each firm will be given 45 minutes to share conceptual plans, three-dimensional sketches/representations, a written description and other materials to effectively convey their design concepts, and then the committee will have 45 minutes to interview the representatives of the firms and ask any questions.

Officials say the next steps regarding the process are listed below:

• The firms make presentations and are interviewed by the 5/31 Memorial Committee on March 2.
• The public input survey is open March 3-23.
• On March 29, the 5/31 Memorial Committee will meet to review the input received, evaluate the submissions, and determine what their recommendation to City Council will be. The procurement portion of this meeting will take place in a closed session.