ARLINGTON — A steel beam from the World Trade Center is headed to this city with the hope it will be displayed by the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The 4,373-pound chunk of metal is one of the remaining pieces of New York City’s twin towers. The pieces of steel are being distributed to fire departments, military bases, museums and airports across the country for use in memorials to honor the victims of the attacks.
So far, the Gig Harbor and Central Kitsap fire departments are the only ones in the state that have obtained pieces for memorials.
“This is a really big deal and quite an honor for Arlington. For the department, it’s a way to remember all first responders,” Fire Chief Bruce Stedman said. “We applied in March and, though there are no guarantees, we have high hopes that we can get it here by Sept. 11.”
The Arlington Fire Department wants to display the beam outside the renovated Fire Station 46, which is scheduled to be dedicated on the Sept. 11 anniversary date.
A New York architectural firm went through the wreckage at Ground Zero and tagged the items they thought would best represent to future generations what happened when four hijacked airliners crashed that day.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey received about 1,100 trade center artifacts to distribute across the country, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman told The Washington Post. Hangar 17 at Kennedy International Airport in New York is where the steel pieces have been stored, along with a New York fire engine and other items found after the attacks on Manhattan.
Arlington’s piece, tagged H-0153, is 13 feet long and was part of a structural beam from one of the towers.
The steel is free, but people who want it have to pay the moving costs. Pieces range in size from small enough to ship to big enough to require a flatbed truck. Stedman said a local trucking company is interested in helping transport Arlington’s piece of steel.
This week, the Arlington City Council authorized Stedman to sign an agreement with the Port Authority to bring home the piece for the memorial.
Stedman hopes to rally the community to help his firefighters with a fundraising campaign and the design of the memorial.
“We have a lot of logistics to figure out,” he said. “And a lot of donations to gather, because no tax money will be used for this.”
Of the 2,753 people who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, 343 were firefighters and 60 were police officers from New York City and the Port Authority. The heavy loss continues to be recognized by fire departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
How to help
People who wish to help bring a 13-foot piece of the World Trade Center to be displayed outside Fire Station 46 in Arlington are asked to call 360-403-3600.
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