Marco Island approves 9/11 memorial at fire station

Marco Island Fire Rescue Chief Chris Byrne and a group of citizens unveiled their design for a memorial to honor the New York firemen who climbed hundreds of steps into the inferno of Sept. 11, 2001. 

The ad hoc 9/11 Memorial Committee, the Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation and the chief told City Council that donations have paid for 75% of the project. 

“This is truly a labor of love for all of us,” said Dianna Dohm, president of the Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation. “This is the 25th anniversary of this horrific event. It has such impactful meaning for all of us. I am so appreciative of this community.” 

The citizens ad hoc committee partnered with the Fire Rescue Foundation to develop the project design, site planning and fundraising, the chief told the council. 

Unlike most 9/11 memorials, this one uses 6-foot-tall replicas of Tower One and Tower Two as they looked before the terrorists flew commercial airliners into them. The stainless steel twin towers will stand vertically on a 5-foot square slab of black granite next to the fire house flag pole and be lit from below with white light. 

“It’s an absolute honor to bring this before you tonight,” Byrne told the council. “This memorial is to honor the sacrifice of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and the courage of the first responders and those who served before and after the attacks.” 

More than 4,300 first responders and survivors have died from illnesses linked to helping dig out the rubble at Ground Zero. The BBC reports that more than 360 New York firefighters have died from illnesses after the attack, surpassing the 343 firefighters lost on the day of the attacks. 

The message will be in black lettering on a white wall above the memorial. What’s written in the rendering is not the final version. 

Three memorial plaques — one for the New York victims, a second for the 184 people who died in the Pentagon attack and a third for the 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93, which passengers forced into the ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania — will be anchored in the black granite in front of the two towers. The names of those who donate to the memorial are to be displayed along its base. 

One of those names will be City Council member Deb Henry. 

“I’ve already contributed and I encourage all of our counselors and residents to be involved in this moving tribute,” Henry said as she made a motion to approve the placement of the monument on city property, as well as the memorandum of understanding between the city and the foundation. It was seconded and passed by the council. 

“This is going to be the biggest no-brainer of the night,” Council Chairman Darrin Palumbo said. 

As part of the agreement, the foundation will contract directly with third parties to design, assemble, weld, cast, deliver and install the memorial at the fire station at 1280 San Marco Road. Any contract for the installation of the memorial shall require that the contractor provide commercial liability, worker’s compensation and automobile liability insurance, naming the City of Marco Island as an additional insured.