Sugar Mill ghost bike memorial honoring student killed on bike to be removed

On Monday evening, Tara Okhovatian placed a ghost bike outside of Sugar Mill Elementary to honor ShaoLan Kamaly, a student who was struck and killed by a vehicle near the Port Orange campus while riding her bike to school last spring.

However, the school told Okhovatian Wednesday morning that the memorial would need to be "retrieved."

Okhovatian, who lives in Daytona Beach, was friends with Kamaly and her father, Keivan Kamaly . She told The News-Journal that she watched Kamaly while her father was at work and that her 4-year-old son, Rumi, enjoyed playing with the 10-year-old.

“I loved her right away. … She told me how she didn't really like how princesses didn't do anything but waited for guys to save them,” Okhovatian said. “And I just thought that she just stole my heart from the first time I met her, that she had so much power within her, and she was just a phenomenal person with (an) adorable voice (and) contagious laughter. Her smile would light up her room.”

Okhovatian said it has been “difficult” without Kamaly.

“It's devastating that we've lost her,” she said. “And it comes in waves. I'm still processing it in my own way.”

Spearheading a movement for the ghost bike memorial played a role in helping Okhovatian process Kamaly’s death.

“We cannot forget,” she said. “This was an important person and (she) deserves to be shown respect and memorialized.”

Ghost bikes, which are painted white and accompanied by a plaque, serve as memorials for individuals who were hit or killed while riding a bike. They are typically placed near a street sign where the accident occurred.

“This wasn't a new concept that we came up with,” Okhovatian said. “This is already something that's in place worldwide as a way to memorialize people who have lost their lives on bicycles.”

The ghost bike memorial at Sugar Mill Elementary was initially placed at the stop sign closest to where the accident occurred. Law enforcement later relocated it to the school's fence line. And now, it will have to be removed from the site, either by Okhovatian or law enforcement.

"We understand the deep care and thought that went into creating this memorial. However, we want to be mindful of the emotional impact on students, staff and families as they enter the campus each day," said Danielle Johnson, Volusia County School's director of community information, in an email. "In collaboration with the PTA and the family, we are working to find a meaningful way to honor the student within the school grounds. To that end, the school has reached out to the individual who placed the bike to offer the opportunity to retrieve it before notifying law enforcement of the need to return it to the individual.

"Sugar Mill Elementary and VCS remain committed to finding a way to remember the student that brings comfort to everyone in our community," Johnson continued. "We will share more information with the school community as plans for an official memorial are finalized."

Moving forward, Okhovatian is "faithful" that Kamaly will be recognized.

"I've just been so distressed with the loss and grappling with everything," she said. "And I do have faith that with the love showing through within the community, that will be able to recognize her. ... And I believe in good, so I think that the good will shine through."

Updates at Sugar Mill Elementary School

Johnson told The News-Journal that Volusia County Schools began conducting a two-phase traffic engineering study , consisting of a lidar scan and then a site survey, Aug. 15.

“The second phase is where they actually do an observation, so that’s more of a longer-term project because obviously you have to have the kids present to do an observation — and all the cars,” said Capt. Todd Smith, the district’s director of safety and security, at the June 25 school board meeting .

Johnson also told The News-Journal that Sugar Mill Elementary now has additional signage as well as more speed bumps in the parent loop. And updates to parking and parent loop procedures are complete.

Additionally, Port Orange Police, Volusia County Schools, Volusia Sheriff’s Office and Volusia County Transportation hosted a final meeting in July, which was open to parents and community members.

Memorial Bike Ride

Critical Mass Daytona Beach is hosting a memorial bike ride in honor of Kamaly Sept. 21 at 2:30 p.m.

The bike ride will start at Reed Canal Park. The first stop will be Sugar Mill Elementary, where a moment of silence will take place in honor of Kamaly. Afterward, bikers will travel to Sugar Mill Gardens and then back to Reed Canal Park.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Sugar Mill ghost bike memorial honoring student killed on bike to be removed