CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A win for a local nonprofit tonight. The city saying the angel statues at the Nueces County victim's memorial garden can stay after getting the green light by city inspectors.
The garden is located at oleander point along the bayfront. You might recall it was back in September when a controversy erupted regarding the statues. The angels are part of a 65-thousand-dollar project to honor those who have died as a result of violent crimes. It was paid for by donations.
The angels were not part of the original plan and organizers say they were asked by the city's parks and rec department to remove them. The city even put up an orange fence around the memorial.
Tuesday, October 20 that fencing came down after the city said the statues are now deemed structurally safe. 3News spoke with Fallon Wood who created the memorial garden following the murder of her daughter 21-year-old Breanna Wood.
“They gave us 30 days to get it, we did get it, we emailed it to them yesterday, which I have the stamp of approval,” said Fallon Wood. “They had them all around the angels, all around the monuments, they put them around the pole, now I have to repaint all the poles because there are black marks scuffing that was supposed to keep people out.”
The city releasing a statement today saying the development services department has validated the anchoring of the statues.
They go on to say the city's internal auditor is also conducting a review of the agreement between the city and the non-profit managing the garden.