TAKING SHAPE—Passerbys can now get a good idea of whathe completed memorial at the Simi train station will look like. The memorial to honor the victims of last year’s Metrolink train collision is beginning to take shape, and city officials say the monument will be unveiled on Sept. 12, the first anniversary of the crash.

Construction on the Metrolink Memorial Plaza at the Simi Valley train station should be complete by the end of the month, according to Sarah Sheshebor, a senior engineer in public works.

The memorial is in a landscaped area in the southeast corner of the train station, adjacent to the platform. The focal point of the memorial plaza is 11 basalt columns signifying those who were lost: 10 columns for the Simi residents who died and one column for the victims from other cities.

The memorial also includes personalized pavers, shaded benches, a meandering walkway and two monument plaques—one in remembrance of the Sept. 12 train collision and one for the 2005 Glendale crash.

Nearly all the hardscape has been put into place, the irrigation system is complete and landscaping started this week, Sheshebor said.

The memorial was originally estimated to cost $151,500, but Sheshebor anticipates the final cost will come in under budget.

Since the city was unable to secure funding for the project from the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) or through federal block grants, the city has fronted the entire project cost with a loan from its Community Development Agency (CDA).

Assistant City Manager Dan Paranick said the money borrowed had been slated for a public works capital improvement project, but when that project came in under budget, the city was able to use the funds to pay for the memorial. Normally the surplus funds would go back to the CDA for another public works project.

The city is planning to repay the short-term loan with private donations, Paranick said.

The Simi Valley Community Foundation established a Metrolink Memorial Plaza Fund—administered at no cost to the city—to which individuals and organizations can make taxdeductible donations for the project.

Paranick said the fund has raised $5,295 to date.

“As we continue our private donation drive, as that money comes in, we’ll repay the loan,” he said.

Councilmember Glen Becerra and Mayor Paul Miller have been working to drum up private donations to pay for the memorial.

Becerra said an employee of Metrolink gave him a list of vendors who work with Metrolink. He and the mayor then drafted and mailed out letters to 20 vendors asking them to consider making a donation of $5,000. While Metrolink declined to support the project, Becerra said he is hoping the vendors will step up because of their connection to the railroad.

“Our hope was that if even half of them responded, we’d be in pretty good shape,” he said.

So far, one vendor, Balfour Beatty Rail Inc., has made a $5,000 contribution.

Becerra said that the council still needs the community’s help to pay off the cost of the project.

“It is a lot of money, but when you weigh that against the tragedy, it was so massive. . . . It seems like a small price to pay, especially when we can get it paid for completely with private funds,” he said.

The dedication ceremony for the memorial will start at 4 p.m. The families of victims have requested a brief memorial service. In respect for their wishes, formal presentations will not be made.