By WAYNE ALLEN

PDT Staff Writer

SOLACE has been told by the City of Portsmouth their arrangement needs to be moved from the center display window of the Marting’s Building. SOLACE founder Joanna Krohn said the group is leaving the display in the center window until a permanent display can be constructed.

The city has offered the group other window space within the building, but the group isn’t interested.

“We are thinking we need to find a garden spot to build a permanant display,” Krohn said.

The city has given SOLACE until after Christmas to make the move.

“We’ve had an offer from the County Commissioners to use the former BMV in New Boston as a display space. It’s a generous offer but it’s not Chillicothe Street, where people can pull over and look at the display,” Krohn said.

Krohn said if a permanent display location can be identified quickly enough they will move out, rather than moving to the other window.

The group, she said, would prefer to have a permanent display in place by spring.

“If it takes that long it may mean moving to another window or just sitting there and causing a scene,” Krohn said. “There are a lot of angry SOLACE members who are telling us not to move the display or have expressed an interest in removing their loved one’s photo from the display. There is a lot of unhappy people so, yeah, there might be a protest.”

When it comes to ideal locations, Krohn says it’s the center Marting’s Window.

“I really can’t think of a better location. Moving to the side of the building is doable. It’s just not the same.”

She said the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services has distributed printed material that shows photos of the wall, for other counties to see.