Memorial for Officers, Firefighters Suggested

If Councilman Richard Alarcon has his way, a memorial he is proposing to honor police officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty would symbolically link the fallen public servants.

At the Los Angeles City Council meeting on Tuesday, Alarcon proposed a memorial be built at the retail-industrial development project underway at the former General Motors assembly plant in Panorama City. The city is also trying to construct new police and fire stations at the site.

“My idea is to build some kind of arch over a pool of water,” Alarcon said.

The pool, he said, would represent the citizens of Los Angeles. At one end of the arch, fallen police officers would be remembered, and at the other end, deceased firefighters memorialized.

That’s just one possibility for a project that, if built, could take any number of designs.

The motion, also supported by Councilman Joel Wachs, called for a committee of Fire Department authorities, police officials, union representatives and city staff to begin design development.

Alarcon said the council could approve his motion by next week. If so, the city could be ready to take bids on the memorial construction in about 45 days, he said.

If the memorial goes forward, it would mainly be funded by developers of the retail-industrial project, who are required by city law to put 1% of the construction project, in this case $170,000, toward an accompanying art project. The city also will seek donations.

Alarcon said locating the memorial at the proposed site makes sense since the former assembly plant is close to Fire Station 81 in Arleta, where two paramedics who were killed in a March helicopter crash had worked.