In just two weeks, the Alix Park Peace Park will open to the public. Getting to this point, though, has been a long road.
It was back in 2015 that the man who hit Rice on Heim Road in Amherst--Dr. James Corisanti--was found not guilty of felony charges, but guilty of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.
Shortly after her daughters' death, Rice's mother, Tammy Schueler, and the Alix Rice Foundation began raising money for a memorial skatepark. Ground broke on the 10,000 square foot space last July. Schueler says this is more than just a safe haven for skaters.
"It's every birthday that I don't get to celebrate with her. It's every lonely Mother's Day. This grand opening and this skatepark is everything that I'll never get to experience that I shouldn't been able to. It'll be everything that she didn't get to experience," Schueler said.
Schueler is asking neighbors to continue buying memorial bricks online to help offset insurance costs. The official opening for the park is August 4th at noon.
