BILLINGS — A Billings father continues his fight to preserve a memorial honoring his daughter who died in a motorcycle accident on May 26, even after the airport’s deadline to remove it has passed.
Lem Robinson visits the memorial site daily. It’s a place he created over several months to remember his daughter Savanah.
Watch Lem Robinson talk about the memorial site:
“This is kind of the place that I come to remember and everybody else does,” Robinson said in a recent interview.
The memorial became a source of conflict when Robinson received a letter in September from the airport demanding its removal by October 17. The letter states that the memorial may pose a distraction or safety hazard to passing motorists.
Related: Billings father asked to take down memorial for his daughter
“This was not going to be tolerable anymore,” Robinson said.
As of Sunday, the memorial still stands, but Robinson received a call about its future.
“I got a phone call on last Friday that said that I gotta be thinking about moving it one way or another,” Robinson said.
The heartbroken father is now searching for a new location for the memorial.
“We've been working on a negotiation of moving it,” Robinson said. “We almost had a deal worked here and then two days later it was out the window.”
Robinson describes the situation as a challenge following his daughter’s death.
“Just trying to get everybody on the same page and trying to find out who's really in charge has been the major, you know, who's going to make the decision. Who is going to make the decision? I don't know yet,” Robinson said.
MTN reached out to the airport and the city, who said they do not have a report, and nothing has been finalized regarding the memorial’s fate.
Robinson has been actively working to resolve the situation through multiple phone calls and meetings.
“I've been to several meetings, and I don't know how many phone calls. Hundreds,” Robinson said.
Despite the uncertainty, Robinson believes the city is making genuine efforts to find a solution.
“They like the idea behind it,” Robinson said. “I think everybody's pretty on board.”
