Dear FAM Family:

There has been lots of activity in the last few months at the future site of STORIES: The AIDS Monument in West Hollywood Park.

Please read on for more about construction of The Monument and learn about what else we’ve been up to since the end of Q2.

MONUMENT CONSTRUCTION PROCESS UPDATE

Our fabricator AFA will start casting a batch of nearly 50 of the Traces this week!  They are planning to create the Traces in batches of 25-50.  Near the beginning of 2025, we expect to install between 25-50 of the Traces on the site.

The general contractor completed excavation and demolition of the lawn.  Installation of underground utilities (storm drains and irrigation lines) at the Monument site will occur in the next couple of weeks.  In early November, they will start excavating the areas where concrete will be poured for the foundation upon which the Traces and stone elements will be installed. In mid-November, underground electrical lines will be installed.

The site is surrounded with construction fencing onto which the City of West Hollywood hung beautiful banners which show:

• the 30 words which will be engraved onto 30 of the Traces (and which correspond to the stories you can hear and read when you click on the Word Wall on our website at www.aidsmonument.org/stories)

Here is a link to a video showing the banners.  Come see them in person!  We are excited that those walking along San Vicente in West Hollywood Park can now learn about the future Monument and hopefully be enticed to visit our website and social media.

I was interviewed by Karl Schmid of KABC-TV last week before the start of the AIDS Walk.  Here is a link to that interview, where I talked about the construction, our mission and the continuing public health challenges around getting medication to those with or at risk of getting HIV.

The current estimated date for completion of the Monument is August or September 2025.

If you want to sign up for updates from the City on Monument construction, please visit www.engage.weho.org/aidsmonument and create an account.

STORYTELLING UPDATES

FAM continues to gather audio stories which are housed on our website and will be available to visitors of the Monument.