State officials are proposing changes to the design of a Monument to the Unborn on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol.
The monument, which is intended to pay tribute to “unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. Wade,” was approved through a state law passed last year.
Members of the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission on Tuesday viewed updated designs for the monument. The Arkansas Secretary of State’s office, which oversees the Capitol’s grounds, proposed relocating the monument to an existing cooling tower wall on the building’s west side.
Artist Lakey Goff urged members to consider her original designs for the monument.
“For a memorial to honor the unborn, there’s a reverence to it. And the location that we have proposed in front of the Supreme Court building, which is actually very significant, and then the harmony that I have shown you with the wall as well as the building, is something to consider,” Goff said.
The new monument design would also incorporate sidewalks to bring it in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, something Goff's original plans did not include.
Goff’s design includes a living wall of plants and an outdoor speaker system playing sounds of Arkansas waterfalls. While Goff said funds for the monument’s construction will be easy to raise, Michael Harry with the secretary of state’s office says their concerns are with the monument’s ongoing maintenance.
“Once those funds are exhausted, maintenance falls on the secretary of state’s budget. We don’t have a budget line item for that as of yet,” Harry said.
Goff had originally planned for the monument to be placed on the Capitol grounds near the Arkansas Supreme Court building. Goff and commission member Tony Leraris sparred over the new designs, which do not include an audio component.
“There’s people that are professionals in the sound that are going to be able to help,” Goff said, referencing sound systems at amusement parks.
“I hate to be ugly, but I don’t see this anywhere near an amusement park,” Leraris said.
The secretary of state’s office estimates the monument will cost at least $55,472 to build, including just over $38,000 for the live wall itself. The monument’s construction will be funded by private donations, though the state will be responsible for funding ongoing maintenance.
The commission will meet again on May 14 to discuss the plans further.
