For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 8, 2004
To provide a contemplative place for reflection, healing and remembrance for the entire Washington, DC region traumatized by the random sniper shootings of October 2002, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s (M-NCPPC) Montgomery County Planning Board, the Montgomery Parks Foundation and Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, with the approval of the victims’ families, today announced plans for a “Reflection Terrace” at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.
Designed pro-bono by landscape architect Sunny Scully, the plan takes advantage of the existing stone formation overlooking the lake within Brookside Gardens, M-NCPPC’s 50-acre public horticultural display gardens. Scully’s design includes a memorial inscription explaining the purpose on one of the site’s two major stones. Each of the 10 victims’ names will be engraved on the second major stone in the area. On a third stone that overlooks the lake, the following will be engraved: “Linger here, reflect on those lost to violence, hope for a gentler world, seek a reverence for life among all people.” In addition to the three engraved stones, the site has existing stones that provide a variety of seating and views of the landscape features. Scully also designed a new handicap-accessible pathway to lead visitors through the terrace.
“Brookside Gardens provides the perfect contemplative setting for the ‘Reflection Terrace.’ It will be a fitting place of healing for the entire metropolitan Washington community and for the families of those who were lost,” said Derick P. Berlage, Chairman of the Montgomery County Planning Board.
“The Reflection Terrace at Brookside Gardens will be a lasting memorial to those innocent victims who lost their lives during the snipers’ senseless shooting spree,” said Duncan. “This tribute will give members of the victims’ families a place to reflect and the entire community a place in which to remember and honor the lives of those victims.”
Last October, on the first anniversary of the sniper shootings, Duncan held a candlelight vigil on the grassy area outside the Executive Office Building in Rockville. The community and more than 50 family members of the victims attended the vigil during which a tree was planted in memory of the victims and a memorial plaque was unveiled with the names of the 10 individuals who lost their lives during that three-week period in October 2002.
Tax-deductible contributions to help defray the cost of “Reflection Terrace” may be made through the Montgomery Parks Foundation, 6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda, MD 20871. All funds raised in excess of the project’s cost will be held in reserve for the memorial’s maintenance. For information about the Foundation or to review the design for Reflection Terrace, the web address is www.montgomeryparksfnd.org.
Montgomery County, M-NCPPC and the Montgomery Parks Foundation plan to dedicate the “Reflection Terrace” in October 2004, the second anniversary of the sniper shootings.
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission encourages the participation of all individuals in its programs and facilities. For assistance with special needs, such as large print materials, sign language interpretation, listening devices, etc., please contact Marion Joyce, 301-495-4600, TTY 301-495-1331 or the Maryland Relay Service, 1-800-735-2258.
Release ID: 04-154
Media Contact: Marian Joyce, 301-495-4600; Ken Nicholls 301-767-0002, Sue Tucker 240-777-6530