TURNERS FALLS — Demolition of the Farren Care Center last year was met with mixed feelings from residents, with many citing the loss of local history as reason for their dismay. Some community members, however, have been working to ensure that not all is lost.

“Working with Negus & Taylor Monuments and Moretti & Sons Landscaping, we have put together plans for a beautiful, handsomely landscaped memorial,” the Rev. Stanley Aksamit, of Our Lady of Peace Church on Seventh Street, wrote in a statement.

The church is raising money to repurpose one of the former hospital’s marquee details, a statue of Jesus Christ standing with open arms, into “the centerpiece of a memorial to the Farren,” according to Aksamit. Construction and implementation of the monument, which Aksamit said would cost between $14,000 and $18,500, would involve the statue being positioned on a granite base that includes a written tribute to the Farren Care Center. It would also involve installing a granite bench and stone walkway leading to the memorial area. He projected that the monument could be completed by the end of the year if money is raised efficiently.

“At first, I wondered if something like this could be done at the Farren site itself in Montague City, but with the use of the land undetermined, I thought it best to place it here, in front of Our Lady of Peace Church,” Aksamit wrote in an email. “So many people in this area were affected by the Farren for one kind of medical assistance or another that I thought it appropriate to give the general public the opportunity to participate in this memorial.”

The former long-term care facility on Montague City Road, which closed in April 2021, received a demolition recommendation in November of that year, with parent company Trinity Health of New England getting the go-ahead to proceed on Dec. 6, 2022, when the Historical Commission opted not to invoke the town’s demolition delay bylaw that seeks to preserve and protect historically significant buildings. The plot of land will be loamed, seeded and given to the town. Either the Selectboard or the Montague Economic Development and Industrial Corporation — a semi-public town organization that can buy and sell property — could take possession.

Aksamit said Our Lady of Peace Church had raised around $3,000 as of mid-January for the memorial project. He added that donations may be made in honor or memory of whomever the donor chooses. Funds raised in excess of the project cost will be put toward the upkeep and annual landscaping of the memorial. Parties who contribute $1,000 or more will have their name or business name inscribed on the walkway.

This statue is one of two formerly positioned at the hospital’s entrance. Aksamit, who has custody of both statues, said the other is in too poor a condition to be displayed.

“The second statue, that of Mary, which was located on the roof of the old entrance porch, is quite damaged,” he wrote. “I’ll have to check with area artists and craftspeople to see what can be done to restore it. At this point, there are no immediate plans for it.”

Contributions should be made out to the Our Lady of Peace Farren Memorial Fund, and mailed to Greenfield Savings Bank, attn: Briggs Doxzen, 282 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA 01376.