Malverne Scout Creating 9/11 Memorial with WTC Steel

When the Malverne community gathers inside Reese Park this year to remember the four residents and thousands of other innocent people killed in the Sept. 11th attacks, they will notice a striking new addition to village's 9/11 memorial.

Nicholas St. John, a lifelong Malverne resident and Life Scout with Our Ladu of Lourdes' Troop 24, is working on constructing a tribute to the victims that incorporates a piece of World Trade Center steel recovered from Ground Zero.

Malverne Mayor Patricia Norris McDonald was able to secure the 3 ft. by 1 ft. steel beam last summer from FDNY Chief Salvatore Cassano's office and village officials travelled to Randall's Island to retrieve the steel. It's being stored inside the Malverne fire house, but St. John is working on building a memorial that showcases the tangible piece of that tragic day inside Reese Park.

The park, which is located next to the Malverne train station, houses a garden with a bronze plaque and four benches bearing the names of 9/11 victims. Each year since 2001, village residents, local officials and families of the victims have gathered here on Sept. 11 for a candelight vigil.

St. John plans to start construction on the steel-beam tribute in late March or early April, so it could be finished by Memorial Day. (The village would hold a dedication ceremony that day.)

"I've lived in Malverne all my life and I wanted my Eagle Scout project to benefit the village," St. John stated at the February village board meeting. "It would be a great thing for Malverne to bring us closer as a community and touch the people on a more personal level."

St. John can't do this alone though. He'll need both physical and financial assistance. If you would like to contribute, email him at nsjeagle@yahoo.com.