By Brenna Angel
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- – Forty-nine silver birds flying towards the heavens, each one representing a life lost in the 2006 crash of Comair Flight 5191, will be the central focus of a memorial sculpture.
The proposed design was unveiled Thursday afternoon at the UK Arboretum, where the memorial will eventually stand. Kentucky artist Douwe Blumberg says he wanted to create a timeless piece.
"Not only will it beautify the grounds, not only will it provide a serene and contemplative place for other people from the area who are struggling with difficult issues, it will also provide a lasting and I think a very personal very private memory for the people who were left behind."
Blumberg says family members of the victims will have the opportunity to put tokens of remembrance inside capsules that will go inside the birds.
The Flight 5191 Memorial Commission expects to have the sculpture completed by the five year anniversary of the crash. Flight 5191 crashed on August 27, 2006 after attempting to take off down the wrong runway at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport.