PARTA wants Artists for Veterans Memorial at Transit Center

is looking for artists interested in creating a veterans memorial to be erected at the site of the new downtown.

The transit agency is partnering with the city and Kent State University to include a veterans memorial as part of the project discussion last year about in Kent in honor of 2007 Theodore Roosevelt High School grad Adam Hamilton, who died while serving in Afghanistan.

Bryan Smith, director of planning for PARTA, said they are planning an extensive process with public involvement from the start regarding the search for artists and their proposals.

"Prior to issue the call for entry we will have a public meeting inviting people to critique the call for entry," he said. "In broad terms, we are looking for a veterans memorial that is not conflict specific, not branch specific, not time specific."

Smith said they are looking for a memorial that is simple, easy to maintain, vandal resistant — to the extent it can be — and only requires lighting.

"My boss has already volunteered that we would maintain the memorial with the in perpetuity," he said.

The $26 million transit center project includes 10 bus transfer bays, more than 300 parking spaces and commercial space. Of the total budget, $120,000 has been set aside for public art and will be used to pay for the memorial. The memorial would stand at the southeast corner of the site.

PARTA's goal is to award the contract for the memorial by February 2013. The artist would then be given until August 2013 to finish and install the memorial. Its dedication would be held sometime in September 2013, Smith said.

The transit agency will make the official call for entries starting May 28. For more information on submitting, view, download or print the .pdf file attached to this story.