A permanent memorial to the 12 students and a teacher killed in the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School got a boost from last month's fifth anniversary observance.

Contributions to the fund, which had virtually stalled before the April 20 anniversary, again are flowing and work on the memorial at Clement Park in south Jefferson County could begin next year.

"It totally depends on how we do with the fund raising (but) we would certainly like to take an optimistic approach to it and hope that we would have the funds that we need by the end of this calendar year so we can start work on the project next year," said Bob Easton, executive director of Foothills Park and Recreation District and chairman of the Columbine Memorial Committee.

The recreation district manages Clement Park, which is adjacent to Columbine. Last month's anniversary observance apparently sparked renewed interest in the memorial, and nationwide media reports on the event resulted in tens of thousands of dollars of donations, Easton said Wednesday.

The memorial project this week received a $20,000 donation from two Littleton Wal-Mart stores.

A $25,000 donation from a foundation affiliated with the the American Students' Fund also has been pledged for the memorial, which is expected to cost $2.5 million.

Smaller donations also are coming into the fund, which Easton said collected about $60,000 in the past two weeks, including a $2,000 check from a New Jersey man and a $5,000 anonymous donation from someone in Denver.

"We also have several private foundations or individuals that we have meetings set up with in the next few weeks," Easton said.

The memorial committee has retained Roecker Consulting Group of Denver to help with what is anticipated to be a final push for donations.

Consultant Ann Roecker was cautious about Easton's hope for a 2005 project start, but she also is enthusiastic.

"I share his optimism and certainly we expect a positive response," Roecker said. "Our campaign plan is to sit down with people and companies in the area and tell them what the goals are, invite them to make a significant gift."

Roecker said larger pledges can be paid out over a two- to three-year period. Donations of construction material and services and landscaping materials also are taking shape.

"Pinkard Construction Company has agreed to donate services for project administration and project coordination," Easton said.

"We are working with them and the general construction community as far as in-kind services and materials.

The memorial would cover slightly more than an acre at Clement Park, tucked into a swale between two hills that overlook the high school and near the sites of spontaneous memorials left by grieving students and members of the community in the days after the deaths.

It would include landscaped terraces, a water wall, benches and two central features - an inner Ring of Remembrance with engraved messages composed from interviews of the families and friends of those killed, and an outer Ring of Healing with etched words of injured victims, other Columbine students, teachers, and staff as well as the community.

Sending donations

• Donations for the Columbine Memorial at Clement Park can be sent to:

Columbine Memorial Fund c/o Foothills Foundation

P.O. Box 621788

Littleton, CO 80162-1788