Terrorism memorial slated
for Sayreville waterfront
By brian donahue
Staff Writer
In light of the fact that some 57 residents of Middlesex County lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, county officials are planning to build a memorial to victims of terrorism on the Sayreville waterfront.
"Many of us actually saw firsthand the most recent and the worst of the terrorist attacks against America last Sept. 11. That attack was close to home both geographically and personally since 57 residents of this county lost their lives, and many others were injured or traumatized by the traffic events of the day," said David B. Crabiel, director of the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
The freeholders have set aside $75,000 for the memorial, which will be located adjacent to the gazebo at the Raritan Bay Waterfront Park, where many visitors presently go to enjoy a view of the New York City skyline.
"You’ll be able to stand at the site and look toward lower Manhattan, and you can see where the twin towers used to be," Crabiel said last week from his Milltown office.
County officials first met earlier this year to discuss the project, and the initial idea was to design a memorial for Sept. 11 — the engineering firm, CME Associates, agreed to design the site at no charge — but officials later decided to instead seek the input of county residents, particularly high school students, before moving ahead with the plans.
"We were just having a difficult time coming up with [an idea that all officials could support]," he said. "I didn’t just want a memorial of the twin towers."
Noting how the county’s Veterans Memorial, located in Roosevelt Park, Edison, was built and dedicated last year to United States veterans of all wars, Crabiel said he wants this memorial to be in remembrance of victims of all terrorist attacks.
Officials ultimately decided to ask high school students to design the memorial by entering design proposals in a countywide contest. The winning entry will be picked by a panel of yet-to-be-named judges. Memorial designs can be submitted by any high school class or student, as long as they live in Middlesex County and go to school there.
The winner’s name will be announced Oct. 17, and will be included on the memorial.
"I hope that this grassroots design competition will give the people of Middlesex County a greater sense of ownership of this memorial," Crabiel said.
The freeholder expects the memorial to be completed by the spring of 2003. He noted that it is possible the board will allocate more funds in its 2003 budget if the cost of the project goes beyond $75,000.
Crabiel said he did not know how large the memorial will be, and when asked whether the names of the county’s victims of Sept. 11 will be listed on the memorial, he said it is unlikely, but that "anything’s possible."