Diversity, peace and unity are priorities for permanent shooting memorials, Highland Park officials say

All in the community carry, in varying ways and weights, the memory of that day.

How to support those diverse needs was the focus Monday as Highland Park leaders continued their discussion on the in-development places of remembrance for the 2022 shooting.

By the end of the session, officials landed on three key words: diversity, peace and unity.

All Together, a consultant on the project, spoke to City Council members on Monday Feb. 23, with the latest, reporting that design development kicked off in January and a projected completion date is September 2027.

The discussion and planning for the permanent place of remembrance have been ongoing for three years. Most recent discussions, as The Record reported in 2025, have centered on project budget and the balance of two remembrances spaces: a primary space in the rose garden by City Hall and a more subtle memorial in Port Clinton Square, near the site of the 2022 attack.

Councilmembers on Monday discussed the meaning of the spaces and how they should feel to residents. The council landed on three primary goals: 1) Creating an accessible public space for reflection, remembrance and solace to honor the communities; 2) Representing the resiliency of those who were injured; and 3) Paying tribute to the memories of the victims.

During the discussion, councilmembers agreed visitors should feel “safe, quiet and peaceful” while the spaces should reflect “unity, respect and hope” and tell the story of “the events that day, diversity and strength.”

Thinking about the feeling of safety, councilmembers said “friends and family, nature and the heart of Highland Park” come to mind.

Mayor Nancy Rotering said the two spaces can and should serve unique purposes: the primary rose garden site for solace, respite and reflection and Port Clinton for remembrance and tribute within a business and community hub.

SWA Group, the architect that partners with All Together, presented images of what the spaces could look like, and councilmembers favored the spaces that included curves, representing movement, the materials of which would be looser around the edges.

The officials also liked natural aspects intertwined with the designs. Councilmember Yumi Ross mentioned the sound tall grasses make blowing in the spring and summer winds.

The inclusion of a pond was appealing to some councilmembers, who also mentioned draining the pond come wintertime.

Councilmember Andrés Tapia said he liked “colorful but soft,” whereas Councilmembers Jon Center and Annette Lidawer favored muted, natural and earthy tones.

Tapia also mentioned that when he looked at the sample, he felt “diversity of different traditions” was missing. He said there was a “large Latino element to what happened,” and he didn’t see that represented in the design.

He also noted that the Latino community “tends not to be subtle, so putting that cultural touch may be challenging.”

Ross added that the Jewish community should also be represented, and that diversity could be represented with traditions, such as the lighting of candles.

Rotering suggested that the Port Clinton memorial could feature a mosaic to represent the cultures, rather than staying monochromatic.

“The key to being successful in the design is creating a space that brings people together rather than divides people. And the way to do that is to listen to what the community wants in our decisions,” Tapia said.

The conversation will continue in meetings of the working group, which typically meets ever other month, and in Committee of the Whole sessions. The next such meeting, however, is not yet scheduled.

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