Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — Township officials would like to see stars and stripes line Middletown’s main thoroughfares in a special tribute for the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.
“What a fantastic remembrance we can have for all those that we lost on that horri- ble day 10 years ago,” Mayor Anthony Fiore said when he introduced the initiative at the July 18 Township Committee meeting.
The flags will fly from utility poles near the township’s World Trade Center Memorial Gardens and along Middletown-Lincroft Road.
Local businesses or individuals would sponsor the flags through a $250 donation to the Middletown World Trade Center Memorial Committee, the nonprofit group that developed Middletown’s Sept. 11 memorial .
Fiore said that he has sent letters to 1,200 local businesses over the past two weeks and has received just under $10,000 in response.
“What a tremendous response from our local businesses looking to give back and help us with this lasting tribute,” he said.
“We ask for $250 per flag, so you can see how many businesses have stepped up to the plate.”
Fiore said the committee does not have a specific goal to reach, but as donations continue, the number of flags will increase.
The flags themselves are not costly, but the brackets and installation on the utility poles comprise most of the $250 price tag, Fiore said.
Fiore said the township has already received approval from Jersey Central Power & Light to hang the flags.
Individuals and businesses that sponsor flags will be recognized in the Sept. 11 memorial program materials, on the township website and on the township cable stations, Fiore said.
The donations are tax-deductible, and Fiore said he is confident that the amount raised will be even more than the current $10,000.
“[The flags] are a constant reminder; something that we will use perpetually going forward,” he said.
“It is something that symbolizes the patriotism and the American spirit that has persevered over the past 10 years.”
Fiore said that the township is also planning a candlelight ceremony and its annual Sept. 11 memorial service honoring the 37 residents who were lost in the attacks.
Donations can be made payable to: Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens, c/o Mayor’s Office, Middletown Township, 1 Kings Highway, Middletown, NJ 07748.
Call Fiore’s office at 732-615-2024 for more information.
“What better way to remember those that died that day because of our freedoms and our way of life than to pay tribute with the true symbol of American freedom, the flag?” Fiore said.