Mt. Kisco Trustees Back Deed for 9/11 Memorial; Committee to be Honored by Chamber

While for Mount Kisco's 9/11 memorial served as a symbolic community dedication, the monument still needed dedication in the legal sense.

On Monday night, Mount Kisco's Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously to dedicate it officially. The approval involves signing a deed for it to assume control over the site. The memorial committee, which is made up of Mount Kisco firefighters who raised money and built the tribute themselves, will continue maintenance.

Mayor Michael Cindrich noted the work that the firefighters put into the memorial and praised them for it.

“I know how hard you worked and I know it was a labor of love, but it was difficult not only in the fundraising end of it but the manning the labor end of it," he said.

The memorial was symbolically dedicated on Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks that targeted New York City's World Trade Center, the Pentagon near Washington, DC, and four passenger airplanes.

After the vote, two committee co-chairs, firefighters Rich Alexander and Paul Felice spoke at the podium and praised the village officials for their support.

The trustees were then presented with a token of appreciation for their approval. It was one of 26 flags that firefighters brought with them last August for a that involved visting the trade center site, the Pentagon and the United Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, PA. The flags were brought on board a 1983 Mack pumper, which was provided by the fire department's Mutual Engine & Hose company.

“Display it well," Felice said.

The firefighters will receive a major honor for their work on the memorial. On May 9, the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce will honor the memorial committee, collectively, as its Citizen of the Year. Members include, according to the announcement: Alexander and Felice, John Boddie, George Arco, Michael Boles, Alfredo Bueti, Gina DiLeo-Acuna, Irving Farber, Edward Clark, Andy Guich, Mario Muccioli, Howard Kensing, Carl Sickles and Joseph Scopelliti.

In addition, Martin Bancroft, a volunteer firefighter and Mount Kisco native who recently passed away, will be honored posthumously with a Lifetime Commitment Recognition. Bancroft also filmed the trustees' meetings.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m., at the .