UPDATED: 10:15 a.m., June 8, 2012
The will be travelling into Manhattan Friday and returning home with a piece of the World Trade Center recovered in the aftermath of 9/11.
Malverne Fire Chief Scott Edwards, who is also a New York City firefighter, announced at Wednesday's village board meeting that by working with FDNY Chief Salvatore Cassano's office, Malverne was able to secure a section of the WTC steel.
"We are honored to go pick it up," said Edwards, who expects the escort to arrive in the village between 1:30p.m. and 2 p.m.
The exact dimensions of the steel were not known but Edwards explained that "it is a nice size piece ... not a tremendous beam."
"We're going to safeguard it at the fire house until we find a sufficient place [for it]," Edwards said.
Possible locations for the steel could be at the village's firefighter memorial, located across the street from the fire house on Broadway, or at the 9/11 memorial inside
"The tragedy that occurred on 9/11 in lower Manhattan touched each and every one of us," Edwards said. Reflecting on the significance of the fragment of the fallen Twin Towers, he added, "I think it is fitting that a piece of the World Trade Center is included in the village of Malverne's 9/11 memorial."
The village's 9/11 memorial displays the names of the four Malverne residents -- Scott Bart, 28, James Haran, 41, Jacqueline Donovan, 34, and Diane Urban, 50 -- who died in the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.
Village officials were trying to coordinate a procession similar to earlier this year, where the entire community, including local school children, stood outside waving flags as the escort carrying the steel passed by. However, since the village only learned they would be getting its steel Wednesday, there was not enough time to execute this. Instead, a ceremony will be held at a later date after the steel is ready to be placed as its final resting place.
Patch will update this story as new information becomes available.
