12/14 Gifts, Donations Have Become 'Sacred Soil,' Town Says

For nearly a year, the town has planned to turn many of the cards, stuffed animals and other items sent to Newtown or left in public memorials after Dec. 14 into "sacred soil." Now, officials say, that plan has been achieved, and the town will decide how to incorporate it into a possible future memorial for the victims of the shooting.

Public Works director Fred Hurley told Patch the materials were cremated about two weeks ago at the Wheelabrator Waste-to-Energy Plant in Bridgeport.

"We stored it for a while, then eventually cremated the items so they would be available to put into a concrete flurry," he said.

That flurry could end up in a new school site, or in whatever memorial the newly-formed 12/14 Memorial Commission sees fit. In a meeting last week, facilitator Anne Alzapeidi told members they could work with Public Works to incorporate the material into their ultimate choice for a tribute.

In their first meeting, the commission produced a hint of what kind of message that memorial could carry, crafting the first draft of their mission statement: a memorial that "remembers, honors and celebrates those who died and serves to provide comfort and hope to those who loved them. This memorial shall also provide the community a place of quiet reflection to embrace peace and connect with one another.

"All that sacred soil has been condensed down," she said. "Maybe in the spring, they'll do another one — but that's all been taken care of. It can't just be spread out — it has to be made into bricks or other materials."

Hurley confirmed another round of flurry-making may be necessary.

"There's still a lot of things coming in," he said. "And some things, we want to hang on to the essence of them in some form. I suspect the anniversary will generate a lot of additional material."

The first round of material, which graced areas like Sandy Hook Center and Edmond Town Hall for weeks after the shooting, prompted First Selectman Pat Llodra to issue the "sacred soil" announcement in January.

"This will be sacred soil, holding all the sweet messages and symbols of love and hope, of kindness and sadness, visions for a better future, and promises to forever remember the ones lost in this sad attack," she said at that time.

Alzapeidi said Hurley told her he ensured the materials were cared for well.

"The thing I love about the town is people validated the kindness, and treated that material with a lot of care and respect," she said.