Township Committee Sets Final Plans for 9/11 Services

At 9 a.m. Sept. 11, the Warren Township Committee will conduct a ceremony remembering those who perished on 9/11. The ceremony will be held at the site of the township’s 9/11 Heroes Memorial at the municipal complex, 46 Mountain Blvd. Refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

The event will be hosted by Warren Township Deputy Mayor Carolann Garafola. Remarks in the ceremony will be offered by Mayor Gary DiNardo. The invocation and benediction will be led by the Rev. Brent Haggerty of Stonecrest Community Church of Warren.

History of the 9/11 Heroes Memorial Monument

In the summer of 2009, Tim McGowan, the township’s fire chief, approached then-Mayor Carolann Garafola with the idea of obtaining World Trade Center steel and developing a Heroes Memorial to those who perished.

On Sept. 24, 2009, Mayor Garafola wrote to Christopher Ward, executive director of the Port Authority in NY/NJ requesting steel. The Port Authority received over 900 requests. After numerous discussions with Port Authority officials, an agreement was reached and the Township Committee approved Res. 2010-253 on Nov. 18, 2010, authorizing the execution of the contract between the township and the
Port Authority to permit the transfer of the steel. Months later the steel release was authorized and on March 10, Mayor Gary DiNardo and Police Chief Russell Leffert traveled to Kennedy Airport and obtained two pieces of steel. They transported the steel back to the township accompanied by an escort of township police, fire equipment and firefighters.

Since that time, the Heroes Memorial Committee, appointed by the Township Committee, has worked closely with local artist Ralph Garafola, who developed the original design, and Ludwig H. Bohler, president of Bohler Engineering, and his staff, to develop the final design of the Memorial. As the steel received was quite different than originally expected, the project has undergone some significant changes.

Throughout these changes, Garafola, Bohler, and his staff, have donated their talents, time, and resources to the project.

Through extensive research, the design, size and layout of the Monument Towers will now be directly proportional to the size of the actual fallen Trade Towers. Additionally, the Monuments which were originally proposed to be constructed of steel and wrapped in granite will now be constructed of solid granite. The granite being used in the Memorial will be cut from the same area of Vermont where much of the original granite used in the Trade Towers was garnered.

These design changes will, without a doubt, provide a uniqueness which the Memorial deserves. The changes however, coupled with the delay in the release of the steel, and the extensive time required to quarry the massive granite towers, will make it impossible for the Memorial Committee to meet their original completion date of Sept. 11, 2011. The members of the committee trust that the residents and donors understand the necessary delay.

With the final design in hand, a budget for the project is now projected to be $35,000. The Memorial Committee has received approximately $26,000 to date. The Memorial Committee and the Township Committee greatly appreciate the donations already received from the residents, township school groups, business community, township employees, and community groups.

As additional funding is required to complete the project, those interested in making a financial contribution, may make checks payable to: “9-11 Memorial Fund” and mail to: Community Volunteer Fire Company, 14 Community Place, Warren, NJ 07059.

The committee expects the Memorial will be ready for a spring 2012 dedication.

Although our Memorial site will be under construction, the Township Committee looks forward to the public joining them on Sept.  11, as we
honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11.