A memorial for the 20 first graders and six educators who died in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., has opened on the school's campus.
The memorial officially opened to the public on Sunday, reports ABC News.
A path from a parking lot leads down a hill to the focus of the memorial — a manmade water feature with a sycamore tree sprouting from an island in the middle. The 26 names of those who died are engraved in the top of a stone wall supporting the pool. A cobblestone walkway surrounds the feature, its outer ring lined with black-eyed Susan flowers. Other paths lead past a variety of plantings on the grounds.
Town voters approved $3.7 million for the cost of the memorial. The State Bond Commission allocated $2.5 million toward the project.
The town created a special commission to oversee memorial planning in 2013. Some proposed sites were rejected, including one near a hunting club where gunshots could be heard, and officials reduced the proposed cost of the project from $10 million because of concerns voters would not approve it.
Town officials say the memorial will be open as long as weather permits this winter, and then reopen in the spring.
The 20 students and six staff members were fatally shot on Dec. 14, 2012, when a 20-year-old gunman forced his way into the school and opened fire.
