Construction to start in May for Waukesha parade memorial after fundraising goal is met

WAUKESHA - With funds in hand and plans complete, the Waukesha Christmas Parade Memorial in Grede Park will finally begin to take shape in May.

Since 2022, the city of Waukesha, along with the Waukesha County Community Foundation as fundraising manager, has orchestrated efforts to honor those impacted by the 2021 parade attack, when Darrell Brooks Jr. drove his SUV through the crowd, killing six and injuring more than 60 others. Their focus has been two memorials downtown.

As of mid-April, officials said their fundraising goals have now been met, allowing construction of the larger $1.5 million memorial to begin along Wisconsin and St. Paul avenues, and also near west end of Main Street, part of the former 2021 parade route.

Grede Park memorial benefits from donors large and small

The fundraising effort remained a constant campaign over more than two years, sometimes struggling to remind residents of the ambitious plan amid general community support for some form of formal remembrance.

"I am amazed by the immense generosity within our community and the number of individuals and businesses who have contributed to the Memorial fund," Mayor Shawn Reilly said in a news release. "The Parade Memorial at Grede Park will offer our community a beautiful space to come together, heal, and remember."

One new fundraising push was made ahead of the anticipated construction start date.

The April matching challenge — a weeklong fundraiser in honor of the Rev. Pat Heppe, the Catholic Community of Waukesha pastor who suffered a concussion in the parade attack — raised an additional $30,000, securing money that will go toward the large $1.5 million memorial.

An anonymous donor helped the Waukesha County Community Foundation's goal, adding $15,000 to a collection of smaller gifts totaling more than $15,000 this month.

"We are grateful to our anonymous donor for their generosity and for inspiring generosity in others,"WCCF President Melissa Baxter said in the news release. "Our community continues to come together in support of those impacted by the parade tragedy."

The city and WCCF hasn't closed the door on donations. Any additional funds collected will be used to help maintain the park memorial, officials said.

Construction by VJS is expected to take six months

Pewaukee-based VJS Construction Services LLC, which also has made financial and in-kind donations to the project as the lead contractor, had been planning on a spring start to construction, pending the final donations that made it possible.

Working from a design initially conceived by Thrive Architects and altered to incorporate ideas from Waukesha resident and renowned artist Carmen De La Paz, the large memorial will include a heart-shaped sculpture surrounded by elaborate landscaping, benches, a tile wall (featuring customized tiles created by community members as part of another fundraiser) and, most notably, plaques for each of six deceased victims.

As previously reported, both Thrive principal owner Jeremy Bartlett and VJS president and CEO Craig Jorgensen said their contributions represented their strong personal commitment to what the memorials represent.

"As we were part of the many who were personally affected by this tragedy, we felt a strong need to get involved," Jorgensen said in 2023. "We’re honored to be provided the opportunity to help build and provide a place of remembrance for the community."

The six-month construction timeline will keep the memorial on schedule for its goal: completion by the third anniversary of the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy.

Smaller memorial sits in the heart of downtown Waukesha

The more-costly Grede Park memorial will join the Main Street memorial, located at one corner of the Five Points intersection, that was dedicated on Nov. 21, 2023, the second anniversary of the incident.

Its location was chosen in part because it was centered in the middle of the parade route and also at downtown Waukesha's renowned intersection, where Main Street, Grand Avenue and Broadway meet. Until that time, the intersection had been a traditional route for the annual parade on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day.

"This memorial is a marker, near where the tragedy occurred," notes the city's memorial website.

The Five Points memorial also incorporates a heart-shaped design conceived by Thrive Architects.

Contact reporter Jim Riccioli atjames.riccioli@jrn.com.