ODESSA, Texas — UTPB is partnering with Odessa Arts to build a memorial for the victims of the mobile mass shooting back in 2019. It’s something that is gaining traction, but it isn’t officially set in stone right now.
There is no official word yet on the project’s confirmation, but city council is expected to discuss the project in greater detail.
UTPB and Odessa Arts are in the planning stages right now. The memorial will be lit up with the names of the victims.
"We will have a place where that artwork is sort of the centerpiece," UTPB Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Tatum Hubbard said. "Around the artwork will be benches where people can sit and reflect and think about their lives and what happened on that day."
Both UTPB and Odessa Arts have had positive conversations with the city about the project, and while the project being moved from Memorial Garden to UTPB is still fairly new, campus leaders expect the college community to be in support of it.
"It really impacted our campus," Hubbard said. "Our campus was quickly locked down. One of the fatal shootings happened right across the street from our campus and so it’s something that felt very personal to a lot of our students and our faculty, our staff, and so I think they will be delighted to have some way to be part of a tribute."
The goal is to have the project completed by 2023, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of UTPB.
"You never know how these processes work out," Hubbard said. "A lot will depend on which designer we land on, how the artist is able to work with the victims. You know you don’t want to really rush that process. You want to give them all the time they need to choose the exact quote that represents their family member."
The project will be at the intersection of 42nd and JBS Parkway, but right now there is another project there, The Stragglers. Hubbard said that they will have to find another spot for The Stragglers once they get the all clear for the memorial.