Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • August 3, 2011 Franklin Lakes Memorial Pond to get World Trade Center artifact by Frank J. McMahon The Memorial Pond in Franklin Lakes will soon include a steel I-beam from the World Trade Center in New York City. This artifact from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack that destroyed the twin towers was recently transported to the Bender Court Firehouse by members of the Franklin Lakes Department of Public Works. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department and the Franklin Lakes Fire Department provided escorts. The piece of the World Trade Center is being temporarily stored at the firehouse, and will ultimately be displayed at Memorial Pond upon completion of the construction of the waterfall. Memorial Pond is located behind the library and the municipal building on DeKorte Drive. “The Franklin Lakes Community is honored to have such a meaningful centerpiece to our memorial as our families and friends remember our loved ones who lost their lives to acts of terror,” stated Mayor Frank Bivona. The artifact will be placed as a focal point for The Franklin Lakes Memorial Pond’s Tenth Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. The Franklin Lakes Memorial Pond was built to honor the extraordinary heroism, commitment, and sacrifice of those who were lost on 9/11, their rescuers and their families, and to pay special tribute to the Franklin Lakes residents who lost their lives to terrorism. The three residents from Franklin Lakes who perished at the World Trade Center were Thomas Cahill, Frank Deming, and Steven Schlag. The resident who died on Pam Am Flight 103 was Alexis Tsairus. The project started in 2001 as an effort by Boy Scout Phil DeNicola of Troop 34, who was working toward his Eagle Scout project and was cleaning up the pond. Following the 9/11 terrorist attack, the mayor and council at that time decided to combine the project with a memorial for the terror victims. At a solemn ceremony held at the site in the spring of 2002, the Lions Club accepted a $15,000 check from Merck-Medco on behalf of the Merck-Medco Foundation. That donation was passed on to the borough to cover part of the cost of the project. John Meeks, a local resident and awardwinning landscape architect, unveiled his plans for the memorial at that ceremony, and described his vision for the Memorial Pond Park. With the money donated by MerckMedco, the Lion’s Club, the Newcomers Club, and several residents prepared the site and planted flowers and bushes. In July 2002, Medco Health and Boy Scout volunteers and members of the Lion’s Club and several other volunteers continued the clearing and planting work. In September of 2002, those volunteers and several volunteer members of the Bergen County Master Gardener Club, planted about 2,000 flowers and bushes and 100 rose bushes plus various other plants. The plans at that time called for a plat- The existing monument at Memorial Pond. form stretching out over the water at the entrance to the pond. A flagpole was to be located opposite the platform and a wooden bridge was to lead to a boardwalk around two sides of the pond and a waterfall was be constructed on the west side of the pond. The effort to complete the project faltered, however, although over the years the Lions Club and the local Boy Scouts have (continued on page 15)