Group Seeking Funds to Maintain Comair Flight 5191 Memorial

by Brenna Angel, Kentucky Public RadioA memorial group organizing a tribute to the victims of Comair Flight 5191 is making sure a special sculpture will have a lasting place in Lexington.In the wake of the August, 2006 plane crash that killed 49 people, hundreds of thousands of dollars poured in to help grieving families, and then to develop a memorial sculpture. That monument, a sculpture featuring 49 silver birds, will be unveiled on the upcoming anniversary.Jennifer Smith-Combs, who lost her father Pat Smith in the crash, says she often walks in the Lexington Arboretum where the sculpture will be located.“You know the community will remember, and will constantly remember us and remember our loved ones. It’s comforting I think, to know that it’s there," she says.To make sure the memorial is maintained, the Flight 5191 Memorial Commission is asking the public for donations to establish an upkeep fund. Chair Dr. Ray Garman says $150,000 dollars will cover the anticipated upkeep of the sculpture.“We want to keep this as pristine when it’s new as it will be 50 years from now. And this is [an] endowment to keep our memorial the wonderful item I think it is now," he says.