The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission will vote on a final design for the "monument to the unborn" next month, choosing between plans presented by an artist or the Secretary of State's office.
Brent Stamp, director of capitol facilities, presented on Tuesday the rough mock-up by the Secretary of State's office for the planned monument. The mock-up proposed placing the "living wall" adorned with plants, which will be placed on a wall that is a part of a cooling tower enclosure on the west side of the Capitol.
Stamp proposed having perennial plants, such as English ivy, to adorn the wall, which he said would cut down on maintenance costs because it won't have to be replanted every year. The memorial also will have a sidewalk leading to it to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a seating area and shrubs to cover an adjacent gas meter, Stamp said.
The monument was commissioned by the state Legislature through Act 310 "as a memorial to the lives lost from 1973 to 2022" when abortion was legal in Arkansas.
When asked, Stamp said the monument also will include a plaque but the wording has not been decided on. The projected cost of the memorial would be $55,472, according to a rough estimate from Stamp.
State Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, sponsor of Act 310, said a business in Benton said it is willing to do the plaque for the memorial free of charge.
Stamp said he is concerned about keeping maintenance costs for the memorial low. While the memorial will be paid for by private donations, maintenance costs eventually will fall to the Secretary of State's office if and when a fund established for the monument runs out.
"One thing that we do always keep in mind, you know, up here when we're building a new monument or really anything around the Capitol is we've got to understand it's going to have to withstand the test of time," Stamps said. "It's going to be there long after we're gone. And maintenance and recurring costs are a big issue, something that is always at the forefront of our mind."
Lakey Goff, the artist commissioned to lead the project, pushed back on the location for the monument, saying she preferred placing it at rectangular green space on the circle drive between the state Capitol and the Arkansas Supreme Court building because the location had better harmony with its surroundings.
At a February meeting, Goff presented a concept for a "living wall" which included four, 10-by-33.3-foot concrete panels aligned in a concave shape and covered with plants. The concept also calls for a bench, lights and speakers built into the ground that will play sounds Goff recorded from waterfalls from around the state.
Goff also took issue with Stamp's concept not including her planned audio-component, saying "that's a big part of the design." Stamp said having an outdoor sound-system would drive maintenance costs up.
"For me it would be a maintenance issue on my end," Stamp said.
The commission will vote on a design for the monument at its next meeting May 14.
Act 310 requires construction and placement of "a suitable monument commemorating unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. Wade." The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission will oversee the project, with final approval being left to the Secretary of State.
The law also establishes a "Monument to Unborn Children Display Fund" to pay for construction and placing the monument, which will be funded through donations from private groups, individuals and grants.