FORT MYERS, Fla. — As the New Year approaches the start of new beginnings start to emerge. After three months, the Memorial wall in Downtown Fort Myers at Centennial Park is being removed.
"Initially there is always sadness, I spent a lot of time trying to make the memorial wall happen," Leo Soto, who worked with the City of Fort Myers on the installation reacting to the news of it being taken down.
He says it was during the instillation of the wall that he truly saw the meaning of what the wall meant, through the eyes of the community, "Dozens of people ended up showing up and coming together, to create this memorial that stood over three months and it was really powerful for the community there."
While Soto is sad to see it be removed, he says whats really important is the comfort he’s been able to provide, "Even if just a single family member that lost a loved one was helped and found comfort in this, it would have been worth while ten times," Soto said.
Liz Bello-Matthews with the city says it was a well-thought-out process to take down the wall and will keep the memory of the memorial alive,"We're going to be displaying some of the images of the memorial at various city buildings and we're actually in conversation with the county to see if they could do the same," Bello-Matthews said.
Those photos serving as a reminder of the lives lost, "I mean that would make me happy, it’s a way to keep the memory of the memorial alive, it’s a way to, it’s a way to remind people it happened, it was there and it was powerful."
If you would like to get involved with the Wall of Hope Foundation or donate, click here.
Fox 4's Brianna Brown was at the memorial site yesterday.
City of Fort Myers removes Hurricane Ian memorial from Centennial Park. Officials plan to honor the lives lost at various city-owned buildings.
