Area Officials Collaborate on September 11 Memorial

While crews are putting the finishing touches on , emergency officials from Safety Harbor and surrounding towns will be on hand to recognize the 11th anniversary of September 11 Tuesday morning.

The event is the joint effort of the cities of Dunedin, East Lake, Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar and Tarpon Springs.

According to Safety Harbor Special Events Coordinator Kim Armitage, officials from each city decided about six months ago to collaborate on 9/11 memorial events from now on in order to provide joint coordination and help increase attendance.

"(The idea) started with Captain Jerry Gabardi of the Oldsmar Fire Department," Armitage explained. "It will ensure we have big crowds, plus we will be able to pool our time and resources to make the event as good as it can possibly be."

"Each of the cities will be hosting it in different year," she added. "We started with Palm Harbor because they are dedicating the memorial this year."

This week, landscapers were working on the area surrounding the memorial, which is located at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens.  Each tower weighs 4,000 lbs and is made from solid granite.

On Tuesday, the memorial will be dedicated during a special ceremony that begins at 10 am at . The public is invited to attend. The ceremony will include-

• Media Personality Jack Harris as the Master of Ceremonies
• Guest speaker, FDNY Battalion Chief Michael Gala Jr.
• Appearances by the Palm Harbor and East Lake Fire Rescue Honor Guards
• A fly over by the United States Coast Guard 
• National Anthem sung by the Ozona Elementary School Choir
• Amazing Grace performed by the City of Dunedin Pipe Band
• Benediction by Dr. Aaron Walp, Clearwater Fire Rescue Chaplain

Curlew Hills Memory Gardens is located at 1750 Curlew Rd. (727) 789-2000.

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