By Elizabeth Alterman Westfield Patch
Westfield’s 9/11 Memorial has been restored.
Installers replaced the etched pane on the west side of the monument that had been smashed by an unknown suspect or suspects with an unknown object in February. At this time the crime remains unsolved, according to Westfield Police.
The restoration took place Friday after several months of verifying the updated names and placement on the panel, explained Sherry Cronin, executive director of the Downtown Westfield Corporation. The panel was fabricated by Permanent Reflections and installed by Cutting Edge Glass, the same firms that worked on the original memorial in 2002. Cronin said the reparation offered an opportunity to refurbish the other three panels.
The cost to replace the panel, $9,200, was paid for by the Town of Westfield’s insurance.
Each September 11, hundreds gather in Memorial Park, located at North Avenue and East Broad Street, to honor the lives lost and pay tribute to the heroism of first responders.
The park was dedicated on September 21, 2002 and honors all the victims who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The obelisk displays the names of all the victims while the 12 granite pillars that surround it are dedicated to each of the 12 Westfielders who perished in the terrorist attacks: Andrew J. Alameno, David Otey Campbell, Michael A. Davidson, Dean P. Eberling, Stephen Mark Fogel, Thomas Glasser, Leo Russell Keene III, Richard B. Madden, John “Pepe” Salerno, See-Wong Shum, Anthony Starita, and Jim Walsh.
