Representatives from national memorials across the United States will be on a panel during the first public meeting to discuss what should be in a memorial to the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre.

  • Town hall scheduled for future Pulse memorial
  • Event takes place 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13
  • Admission is free, but you need tickets to attend

OnePULSE Foundation, the foundation for the Pulse nightclub memorial, said in a news release Wednesday that next month's panel would include officials from memorials constructed to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing.

"To build a memorial, it has to be what the community wants," said Sara Brady, a spokeswoman with the OnePULSE Foundation. "What do they feel? Do they want the building to stay? Do they want it to come down?"

Brady said organizers of the town hall-style discussions hope the public feels comfortable giving input and that people come away knowing more about the process of creating a permanent memorial.

"We hope that we have a good community involvement," she said. "How does a community put together and build it and create it so that everyone feels that the tragedy has been properly recognized? The only way to do that is for these public conversations to take place."

The first event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, at the Orlando Repertory Theater, 1001 E. Princeton St.

Admission is free, but tickets are required and available through Eventbrite. Seating is limited.

Brady said the group hopes to have at least four such meetings with the community, with the second in the beginning of 2018. They have already solicited input from victims and their families.

The foundation's public survey to acquire public input regarding the future of the Pulse site will go live on the foundation's website that same day. Anyone interested in sharing their ideas is encouraged to participate in the online survey available at www.onePULSEfoundation.org.

Barbara Poma, the owner of Pulse nightclub, has said she wants the memorial in Orlando to be a place to comfort the bereaved now and educate future generations.

Forty-nine people were killed and more than 50 others were injured in June 2016 in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.