June 1, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 15 Midland Park Through the efforts of Fire Chief Mark Berninger, the Midland Park Volunteer Fire Department was able to receive a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. The 2,700-pound, five and a half-foot wide structure was picked up at JFK Airport in New York and was greeted at the Midland Park Firehouse by a contingent of firemen, police officers and other borough employees, including Borough Administrator Addie Hanna. Chief Berninger said the steel would be incorporated into a memorial to include deceased firemen, including Pat Witte, who died in the line of duty. He said he would appoint a committee to include local landscape designers to seek input on how best to use the piece of steel and design the memorial. Berninger said he applied for a memento from the terrorist attack two years ago and heard nothing until about six months ago, when he was notified a small stone, which would not have been suitable for a memorial, had been allo- Fire department receives piece of steel from WTC Above: Fireman Phil Scaglione, Chief Mark Berninger, Firemen Mark McCombs and Mark Berninger, Jr.; DPW Superintendent Rudy Gnehm and equipment operator Mike Monti prepare to drape a flag on the segment of a steel column salvaged from the World Trade Center recently given to the fire department. Left: DPW Superintendent Rudy Gnehm assists in unloading the steel. cated. He reapplied to the Port Authority and found out his department had been selected only when it was decided to limit allocations to just New York and New Jersey. He said Midland Park’s piece is believed to have been part of an interior column from one of the Twin Towers.