Several visions for a memorial marking the mass shooting of seven farmworkers in Half Moon Bay were displayed Thursday on the second anniversary of the deadly rampage.
On Jan. 23, 2023, the small coastal town was rocked when farmworker Chunli Zhao allegedly went on a shooting rampage at two mushroom farms, gunning down seven people. It was the deadliest shooting in the history of San Mateo County and revealed the deplorable working conditions that some agricultural laborers endure.
"On this day we remember them, we recognize what happened to them and what happened to our community," said former Half Moon Bay mayor Joaquin Jimenez in an interview. "This event changed our history."
The city's Farmworker Memorial Remembrance and Advisory Committee, created in the wake of the shooting, has been working with nonprofit groups to devise a plan to establish a memorial structure in honor of the victims. The sole farmworker who survived severe injuries during the shooting is on the committee.
Out of nine plans for the memorial, four have been selected as finalists by the committee. Poster boards with renderings of each idea were displayed at Mac Dutra Plaza on Thursday during a memorial gathering in order to gauge community feedback on the ideas.
"We're trying to gather community feedback first," said Julissa Acosta in an interview. Acosta works in the Half Moon Bay City Manager's Office as a management analyst in community services.
"We'll go to other commissions and committees, and then ultimately end with City Council to determine what the final design will be," Acosta said.
The proposed location for the memorial is at Elbert "Kitty" Fernandez Park, a small concrete open space on the corner of Main and Filbert streets. All of the ideas include a complete renovation of the park to add more greenery and new concrete bricks.
Two ideas are from one artist with a focus on manipulating light and shadow to create visual patterns.
The first includes seven different-colored lanterns placed against a crescent-shaped concrete wall. The lanterns contain intricate cutout designs so that when light shines against them, patterns are reflected onto the wall.
The second rendering utilizes a gazebo that is already at the park. Seven panels are inserted as walls to the gazebo, each with their own colored lantern placed in the center of the panel. Like the first design, light shining into the lanterns with cutouts create shadow patterns.
These designs are the least expensive of the four, with an estimated cost of half a million dollars, Acosta said.
A few Half Moon Bay residents responded well to these ideas, noting that the use of the gazebo and vibrant colors were appealing.
The other two ideas were also given preference by some community members because they had the most greenery, which appropriately symbolizes the work done by agricultural workers.
The third design features boulders inscribed with quotes and concrete benches encircling a water fountain. It is surrounded by grass and cherry blossom trees.
The estimated cost of this design is about $1 million, Acosta said.
The fourth idea is the most elaborate and costly of the four, containing garden walkways that weave through various sculptures. It features seven boulders to represent the seven victims, as well as water fountains, an archway, and statues of laboring farmworkers.
The expected cost of this plan is around $3 million.
Regardless of what plan is selected, the entire process from approval to construction is expected to take about three years to complete.
The committee will present a more formal presentation of the options to the public in the coming months, Acosta said.
"We just wanted to present a preview to the community so we can get their feedback first," she said.
Public weighs in on Half Moon Bay mass shooting memorial designs
/ CBS/Bay City News Service
Several visions for a memorial marking the mass shooting of seven farmworkers in Half Moon Bay were displayed Thursday on the second anniversary of the deadly rampage.
On Jan. 23, 2023, the small coastal town was rocked when farmworker Chunli Zhao allegedly went on a shooting rampage at two mushroom farms, gunning down seven people. It was the deadliest shooting in the history of San Mateo County and revealed the deplorable working conditions that some agricultural laborers endure.
"On this day we remember them, we recognize what happened to them and what happened to our community," said former Half Moon Bay mayor Joaquin Jimenez in an interview. "This event changed our history."
The city's Farmworker Memorial Remembrance and Advisory Committee, created in the wake of the shooting, has been working with nonprofit groups to devise a plan to establish a memorial structure in honor of the victims. The sole farmworker who survived severe injuries during the shooting is on the committee.
Out of nine plans for the memorial, four have been selected as finalists by the committee. Poster boards with renderings of each idea were displayed at Mac Dutra Plaza on Thursday during a memorial gathering in order to gauge community feedback on the ideas.
"We're trying to gather community feedback first," said Julissa Acosta in an interview. Acosta works in the Half Moon Bay City Manager's Office as a management analyst in community services.
"We'll go to other commissions and committees, and then ultimately end with City Council to determine what the final design will be," Acosta said.
The proposed location for the memorial is at Elbert "Kitty" Fernandez Park, a small concrete open space on the corner of Main and Filbert streets. All of the ideas include a complete renovation of the park to add more greenery and new concrete bricks.
Two ideas are from one artist with a focus on manipulating light and shadow to create visual patterns.
The first includes seven different-colored lanterns placed against a crescent-shaped concrete wall. The lanterns contain intricate cutout designs so that when light shines against them, patterns are reflected onto the wall.
The second rendering utilizes a gazebo that is already at the park. Seven panels are inserted as walls to the gazebo, each with their own colored lantern placed in the center of the panel. Like the first design, light shining into the lanterns with cutouts create shadow patterns.
These designs are the least expensive of the four, with an estimated cost of half a million dollars, Acosta said.
A few Half Moon Bay residents responded well to these ideas, noting that the use of the gazebo and vibrant colors were appealing.
The other two ideas were also given preference by some community members because they had the most greenery, which appropriately symbolizes the work done by agricultural workers.
The third design features boulders inscribed with quotes and concrete benches encircling a water fountain. It is surrounded by grass and cherry blossom trees.
The estimated cost of this design is about $1 million, Acosta said.
The fourth idea is the most elaborate and costly of the four, containing garden walkways that weave through various sculptures. It features seven boulders to represent the seven victims, as well as water fountains, an archway, and statues of laboring farmworkers.
The expected cost of this plan is around $3 million.
Regardless of what plan is selected, the entire process from approval to construction is expected to take about three years to complete.
The committee will present a more formal presentation of the options to the public in the coming months, Acosta said.
"We just wanted to present a preview to the community so we can get their feedback first," she said.
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