9/11 Memorial a Community Effort

In a few months, Palm Harbor will have its own permanent memorial to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks. More than a hundred community members and local leaders gathered for an official groundbreaking ceremony Friday at , where the memorial will be constructed.

The project is the result of a group effort by members of the community who wanted to build a lasting memorial honoring the victims of 9/11. 

Peg Alongi, a former teacher at , came up with the idea. Alongi wrote a convincing letter to the New York Port Authority requesting a piece of wreckage from the World Trade Center, which will be part of the memorial. Alongi also contacted Palm Harbor Fire Rescue Chief Jim Angle asking for help with the project.

During Friday's ceremony, Chief Angle told the crowd about his initial doubts when it came to receiving an artifact from the World Trade Center.

"I'll be frank, I didn't think we stood a very good chance at all. Palm Harbor, a piece of metal from the World Trade Center, I didn't see it. But if Peg wanted to do it… I was certainly going to support them," he said.

Alongi's letter wound up convincing the New York Port Authority that Palm Harbor deserved a 9/11 memorial, and a steel beam from the World Trade Center was sent to Palm Harbor.

Angle helped Alongi gather supporters for the project. The memorial is being constructed entirely with donations from the community, including the location. Curlew Hills Memory Gardens made a scenic space available on its property that overlooks a pond.

Angle says once the idea of the project gained momentum, he realized the true need for a memorial when he and fellow firefighters took the temporary 9/11 Memorial display to Ozona Elementary.

"As I looked out into the audience of over 300 dads and their kids, I realized that the overwhelming majority of those kids weren't alive on September 11, 2001. So, the fact that we have this memorial, thanks to our partnership with Curlew Hills and the work of our group, we'll create that lasting memorial," he said.

Congressman Gus Bilirakis, who attended Friday's ceremony, agrees.

"We must never forget and we have a lot of children who don't have a memory of 9/11. They need to know what happened on that particular day, and it must never never happen again," he said.

The memorial is scheduled to be completed in September, with the dedication ceremony scheduled for the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The memorial includes a steel beam from the World Trade Center and replicas of the Twin Towers, as well as the names of those who lost their lives in the attacks.

Information about making a donation to the Palm Harbor 9/11 Memorial