Mt. Kisco Fire Dept. Breaks Ground on 9/11 Memorial
The memorial will be located by the Main Street entrance to Shopper's Park.
Every September 11, the Mount Kisco Volunteer Fire Department hosts a remembrance service to ensure that no one forgets the people and the events of Sept. 11, 2001. In a ceremonial groundbreaking on Tuesday morning, volunteer fire fighters and members of the community laid the figurative foundation for a permanent reminder of the tragic day.
Mayor Michael Cindrich, who hoisted a shovel at the ceremony, thinks that the monument will serve multiple purposes.
"This is an effort of our fire department to memorialize what happened on 9/11 and to make sure that this community, and all of our visitors, don't forget what happened on that day," he said. "As young children grow up and see [the monument] they will reflect on why [9/11] happened and…maybe we won't let our guard down."
The September 11th 2001 Memorial Monument will back up to the stone wall near the Main Street entrance to Shopper's Park, opposite a statue of Christopher Columbus. Former FDNY Lieutenant and current Mount Kisco volunteer fireman Rich Alexander designed the monument with specific goals in mind.
"It incorporates all of the elements of the tragedy. It has a pentagon shape, two towers to represent the trade towers, and…a berm into the walkway that will represent the rolling fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania."
The pentagon shape will be a reflecting pool that the two black granite towers, one etched with the names of firefighters lost on 9/11 and the other with a graphic of a firefighter raising a flag, will stand in. The structure will be surrounded with a brick paver walkway with the berm built into its right side. Although the artist's rendering of the design is complete, the final result will not be released until the village's beautification committee, the architectural review board, the American Legion and the Northern Westchester Italian American Club make inputs.
Bedford Hills' Westfair Pools & Supplies will begin the actual, as opposed to ceremonial, construction within the next two weeks. Volunteers from the Mount Kisco Volunteer Fire Department will provide manpower to aid in the building.
Although the monument will commemorate tragedy, people involved in its construction are thrilled to take part in turning one day of remembrance into a permanent reminder.
Village Trustee-elect Jean Farber said "it is really a thrill to start on such a wonderful high note."
The fire department will unveil the new memorial on Sept. 11, 2011. Beginning next year, the village's 9/11 memorial ceremony, including a changing of the flags, will be held at the new monument. Every flag on the monument's flagpole will come from the collection of 50 flags that the fire department is driving to all three sites of the terror attacks next August.
The funds to build the memorial will come from donations from local businesses and community members. The estimated total cost is around $75,000. The fire department will be raffling off items, such as a 2010 Camaro, and other goods from local vendors. Tax deductible donations can also be made. For more information, contact Paul Felice at 914-241-4593 or Rich Alexander at 914-218-8334.
