BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The 5/14 Memorial Foundation Inc. met Monday for its monthly Board of Directors meeting to discuss ongoing progress toward the development of the 5/14 Living Memorial and Healing Center.
Before the meeting began, board members observed a moment of silence in honor of Jonathan Dandes, a board member of the 5/14 Memorial Foundation.
The meeting included committee reports and an update on secured funding. Rev. Mark Blue, chair of the 5/14 Memorial Foundation, said the organization has secured an additional $1 million from the state.
"They were able to work with the state to procure another $1 million, so that's very nice," Blue said. "We do have grant writers that are working with us to help us procure the funds that we need."
The memorial is set to be built at Jefferson Avenue and Best Street, directly across from Johnny B. Wiley Stadium. The foundation is moving forward with lot acquisition and the selection of a construction manager for the project.
WATCH: 5/14 Memorial Foundation secures $1M, targets April for construction firm
Lisa Hicks, a member of the foundation's Board of Directors, said a request for qualifications has been drafted and is nearly ready for release.
"RFQ has been drafted and reviewed by members of the committee," Hicks said. "It's being finalized now for release, hopefully this week. We're targeting April 7th for selection of a construction management firm."
Hicks also said that a firm is providing cost estimates to help move the project forward.
"There's a firm, Gilbane-Turner, that has been working with the design team," she said. "They've agreed to provide us with cost estimates to get the project to a more accurate development cost."
The next court date for the suspected gunman is March 20 at 1 p.m. Monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the Apollo Media Center and are open to the public.
