Town of Greenburgh seeks public's input on how to preserve 9/11 memorial
A mural consisting of tiles that honor the memory and sacrifice of Sept. 11 needs to be renovated every few years.
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The Town of Greenburgh is seeking residents' input on how to preserve the community's 9/11 memorial, which needs to be renovated every few years.
The memorial consists of individual tiles which tend to fall off a mural only to be put back in.
Hartsdale Fire Department Deputy Tim Mentrasti remembers September 11, 2001 like it was just yesterday.
"Hartsdale Fire Department on Sept. 11, 2001 was initially dispatched to ground zero. Every department in this area was able to go and pitch in," he said.
For the Hartsdale fire district and for the thousands of people who traverse Central Avenue every day, the memorial is an important reminder.
"It's a good reminder when we go out and it's very prominent out there and I think it's important that it continues to exist to remind not just the fire service but the general public what Sept. 11 truly was," explains Mentrasti.
About 1,800 residents, united by their pain and anguish, each created their own tile. And every year on the anniversary, the town goes there for the ceremony.
However, the tiles aren't withstanding the test of time.
"For the past 20 years," says Greenburgh Town Supervisor, Paul Feiner, "every number of years, the tiles have fallen, so this is the third time that we've had to take down the tiles."
The constant renovations have cost the town thousands, and now they've finally decided to pivot.
"During the next month or two, with the Arts Council and artists, were going to try figuring out plans so we can continue to have the memorial in honor and in memory of the victims," says Feiner.
The entire memorial is a massive question mark. What's it going to look like? How long will it take? What's going to happen to the tiles? Will there even be a ceremony there on Sept. 11th? There are no answers yet.
One thing that is for sure is that the town wants to hear from the public with ideas.
The Town of Greenburgh Parks Department can be reached at 914-989-1800.
