Steel Beam Slated as Centerpiece of Greenville County 9/11 Memorial Plaza
Contact: Taft Matney
Date: April 27, 2011
Phone: 864/505-8866
E-Mail: taft@taftmatney.com
Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 3:00 p. m., Greenville County’s Boiling Springs Fire District will receive the first piece of the only planned 9/11 memorial in the county.
What will become the central focus of the memorial is a 16” I-Beam that was originally a part of the World Trade Center towers that were destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The beam itself measures 80 inches long and weighs 1360 pounds and will be placed in a memorial that officials say will be constructed in front of the district’s headquarters located at 5020 Pelham Road.
District officials are currently in the process of bidding the architectural part of the project and will plan the memorial’s construction after selecting a designer. The district’s goal is to have the memorial completed in time to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
Initial cost estimates range between $50,000 and $80,000 to complete the plaza with financing coming through community and corporate sponsorships as well as fundraising efforts by off duty Boiling Springs Fire District personnel.
Fundraising efforts will begin once the steel from the World Trade Center arrives in Greenville County.
Captains Jeff Nelson and Pat Howard along with Engineers Steve Carpenter and Philip Hutcheson made the trip to NY to pick up the steel, also saving the district money versus hiring a commercial trucking firm to transport the beam.
“We are grateful to the Port Authority of New York / New Jersey and the September 11th Families Association for the honor of being able to display this important part of our American Heritage,” said Chief Steve Graham of the Boiling Springs Fire District. “This piece doesn’t just belong to BSFD, it belongs to every American who remembers that tragic day. More especially, it belongs to ALL of our local First Responders who still feel that kinship with our brothers and sisters who gave their lives that day.”
About the Boiling Springs Fire District
Established in 1968 and located on Greenville County’s Eastside, the Boiling Springs Fire District covers 15 square miles and serves over 26,000 residents. Governed by five commissioners recommended by county council and appointed by the governor, the Boiling Springs Fire District is a special purpose district responsible for addressing specific concerns and local issues among commercial and residential interests through 40 paid personnel and 20 volunteers operating out of 3 fire stations. The Boiling Springs Fire District is South Carolina’s only ISO Class 1 fire department with a combination of paid and volunteer fire fighters.
For media inquiries, please contact Taft Matney by e-mail at taft@taftmatney.com or by phone at 864/505-8866.
