Mt. Kisco Firefighters Recall Efforts to Bring Village its 9/11 Memorial

When Mount Kisco officials, emergency responders and residents gather next Wednesday for the village’s 9/11 ceremony, for the 14^th time they will commemorate the solemn occasion at the village’s September 11 memorial.

It was members of the community’s volunteer fire department, led by Paul Felice and Rich Alexander, who came up with the idea for the memorial.

As the 10^th anniversary approached in 2011, they searched the village to find an appropriate location. An area near the busy intersection of routes 133 and 117 that is a somewhat secluded spot but easily accessible was selected.

“We kept coming back to this site,” said Felice, a longtime volunteer and co-chair of the 9/11 memorial committee. “I said I’ll find somebody to design it, I’ll find somebody to build it and I’ll find somebody to maintain it. The department will maintain it.”

Alexander is credited as the designer and Joe Scopelliti, of Westfair Pools in Bedford Hills, built the memorial. From conception to completion, it took about 10 months and was unveiled on the 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

However, raising the roughly $180,000 that was needed to buy the materials, have the work done, including intricate engraving with the names of the firefighters killed that day, and shipping it to the site seemed daunting. Two seven-foot-tall black and gray granite slabs representing the twin towers, which only could be obtained from India or China at that time, cost $25,000.

It was Daniele Churchill, owner of the clothing store Churchill’s, that provided the funds for those

Her efforts are recognized in one of the three plaques at the site.

“She gave us $25,000 right off the bat,” Alexander said. “We had a way to pay for these. Then, over the course of eight months, we raised $180,000.”

That was done through golf outings, a car raffle and other events along with appeals for donations.

Each of the three airplane crash sites are incorporated into the memorial. The perimeter of the memorial that also contains a water feature has five sides to recognize the people who lost their lives at the Pentagon and three benches that are included are each engraved with the flight numbers of the four airplanes and the times each crashed the hijackings.

“It’s a testament to time,” Felice said. “It’s not going anywhere.”

There is also a piece of steel from one of the World Trade Center towers off to the side that was obtained through the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The memorial was unveiled in time for the 10^th anniversary ceremony, with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo on hand for the dedication. At the time he lived a little more than five minutes down the road.

“There’s people who come here on a regular basis (to) pray, and there’s something very cathartic about this site,” Alexander said. “Although it’s at one of the busiest intersections in town, it’s a very peaceful setting and people kind of pick up on that vibe when they’re here.”

Scopelliti added the Maltese Cross into the design of the brick near the memorial. The symbol, often used by fire departments to signify honor and protection, also contains 343, the number of New York City firefighters who died on 9/11 when the Twin Towers collapsed.

He said he was proud to put in long hours to build the memorial, which will become increasingly important as years pass since the attacks and there are more people who were not yet born.

“Honoring these heroes give you – it gives me, anyway, and I’m sure everybody else – okay, we did something that many people will remember and stop forgetting,” Scopelliti said.

At next Wednesday’s ceremony, which gets underway at 6:15 p.m., there will be the annual switching of the American flags for the flagpole that is behind the memorial, Felice said. The Mount Kisco Fire Department is in possession of 50 flags that had been at each of the three crash sites at some point. Each one is numbered and will be changed at the ceremony for 50 years.

The fire department maintains the grounds at the memorial, with a member of the department assigned each day to pick up debris at the site, Felice said.

Alexander credited Felice for his passion and commitment to see the project through.

“If it wasn’t for Paul, this wouldn’t have happened,” Alexander said. “It’s a wonderful thing having been involved in the committee to build this. I don’t know what you call it, but it makes your life better, and to be involved in something that makes the community better.”