Howard County leaders break ground on COVID-19 memorial in Ellicott City

BALTIMORE -- Howard County officials have broken ground on a COVID-19 memorial and sculpture designed to commemorate the lives taken by the coronavirus pandemic and to honor everyone who worked to bring the county through a dark period.

They held a ceremony to mark the occasion on Friday. The plan is to build the memorial at Meadowbrook Park and Athletic Complex in Ellicott City. 

The memorial will consist of a grove of native birch trees, a seating area that surrounds a water fountain, and a sculpture, county officials said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic affected all of us in ways that we may never be able to adequately express. In a matter of days, our lives changed drastically, and we lost so many to this deadly virus," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. "As we continue to mourn and heal, Howard County residents will now have a quiet space where they can come, reflect, and feel at peace. It will honor those we have lost and those who selflessly sacrificed during the pandemic."

The project is part of the county's healing process as its community tries to recover from the tragedies surrounding the pandemic, Ball said.