Croton 9/11 Memorial

The following is from the Village of Croton's newsletter.

The road to creating a 9/11 memorial has been a lengthy one.  It began with the Village’s request in December 2009 to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for a piece of the World Trade Center steel.  The request was made at the suggestion of local resident Janet Mainiero.  Interest from the Town of Cortlandt and the Village of Buchanan led to the formation of the Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton 9/11 Memorial Task Force, (BCC 9/11), a committee of some 20 members., of which Ms. Mainiero was named Chair.  The task force  began developing a plan for an appropriate memorial including its design, location and fundraising.   

Several fundraising events were held to support the implementation of the BCC 9/11 Memorial. A design by local residents, James Rhodes and Lauren Davis, was selected, Croton Landing was chosen as the best site, and engineering and  construction costs were calculated.  The chosen design, named “ Reaching Through the Shadow” depicts the piece of WTC steel angled above a large boulder.  

The steel is aligned so that the shadow it casts  each year on 9/11 points to a series of medallions in the ground.  Each medallion represents a significant event of that day.  A figure of a woman reaching toward the steel represents loss and mourning as well as strength for the future. As fundraising progressed slowly, it became necessary to divide the building of the memorial into two phases: Phase 1) the boulder. WTC steel and medallions . Phase 2) the figure of the woman.  

The BCC 9/11 Task Force  was able to fund the costs of Phase 1 of the memorial through its own fundraising efforts, small contributions from the three municipalities, and through significant donations of labor and materials from area contractors and unions. 

At the end of July, work started on the memorial’s construction.  A large boulder already in Croton Landing Park, which had been previously identified, was moved to its new location at the northern tip of Croton Landing Park.  The WTC steel was mounted on the boulder in late August. The BCC 9/11Task Force is planning a ceremony on September 11 at the site to commemorate the events of Sept. 11, 2001. 

People interested in attending the commemorative event should assemble at the parking lot of Croton Landing Park at 2:30 pm on Sept. 11.  From there, the group will walk the 1/2 mile to the site of the memorial.  (A van will be available for those who need to ride to the site.)  There will be a moment of silence and  some brief presentations.   Additional details of the ceremony are still being put together by the Task Force committee.