By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich The New Haven Register
A steel I-beam recovered from one of the fallen World Trade Center towers will form the Derby memorial
Derby, CT – Past Fire Chief William Nicoletti has been spearheading the effort to create a 9/11 memorial here.
“We, like many people, still feel the pain from the tragic events that occurred on 9/11,” Nicoletti said.
Nicoletti said he found out about a program the New York and New Jersey Port Authorities [sic] started several years ago, where municipalities could obtain artifacts from Ground Zero.
“We were fortunate enough to obtain this artifact in order to have a permanent, public monument in Derby to memorialize all those who lost their lives that day,” Nicoletti said.
The steel I-beam, Nicoletti said, was one of the last few remaining pieces left. In order to showcase the item, Nicoletti said a granite pedestal will be built, with the steel I-beam mounted to the center, accompanied by a circular walkway and sidewalks, lined with brick pavers that the public can purchase and have engraved. The memorial will be built on the west side of the Green on the Elizabeth Street side.
Nicoletti hopes to have the memorial ready by this September 11.
Nicoletti said the project will cost an estimated $25,000, with the lion’s share of the funds expected to be raised through the brick sale. Each 4×8 brick can contain up to three lines of text and 18 characters per line, at a cost of $100 each. If additional money is raised, Nicoletti said it will go toward maintenance of the memorial.
The bricks are ready for purchase now and can be ordered online at: http://electronicvalley.org/derby/.
Nicoletti said many municipalities, including Milford and Woodbridge, were lucky enough to have received steel artifacts from Ground Zero, as well, to use for memorials in their towns.
The project was previously approved by the Board of Aldermen a couple years back. However, because the scope changed a bit from the original plan, the aldermen voted again at its April 24 meeting, giving their unanimous approval to the project. Nicoletti presented the tarnished I-beam at that meeting, with Mayor Anita Dugatto saying she’s humbled to have a memorial in Derby that will pay tribute to the 2,996 [sic] lives tragically lost nearly 13 years ago.
Anyone with questions about the project can contact Nicoletti at: wlnicoletti@aol.com or can call Bill at 203-305-4305.
