Eric Evans. Christopher Gray. Robert Vicario. Peter Klein. Those are the Weehawken residents who perished in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks four years ago. They were husbands and fathers and brothers and beloved family members. They were friends and co-workers and neighbors.
Their legacies are not forgotten, as evidenced by the 300 or so people who last Sunday night at Hamilton Plaza attended a candlelight vigil in honor of everyone who died on that fateful September day. It was a peaceful, somber and respectful event.
Now, township officials have solidified plans to forever remember their fallen residents and the people who served others that day.
Mayor Richard Turner announced on Sunday the site for the township’s permanent memorial. It will be directly adjacent to the existing NY Waterway ferry terminal, within the grounds of the garden at the site.
“We’ve been discussing this for quite a while,” Turner said. “We were looking for the appropriate site and appropriate tribute, and we wanted to have it someplace along the waterfront. We wanted it there, not only as a tribute to the victims, but also in honor of all the rescue groups who aided more than 70,000 people who used the ferry as way of a safe exit from New York after the attacks. Those 70,000 people came through Weehawken that day and were aided by volunteers, police, fire, EMS workers. They received medical treatment in our triage centers. Some just needed to get cleaned up and receive water. We distributed water by the thousands that day.”
Added Turner, “Once the ferry terminal is moved (about 1,000 yards to the north, where construction is rapidly moving toward completion by early 2006), no one will ever remember that it was a rescue site. That’s why we wanted to make sure it was put there.”
Turner said that both Roseland Properties, Inc. and NY Waterway have agreed to defray the costs of the memorial.
“We’re just waiting for the new ferry terminal to open before we get started,” Turner said. “We hope to have it done before the fifth anniversary of 9/11 next September. Now, we have a site and a target date.”
Turner said that he thought the site for the memorial was more than fitting.
“There’s going to be a very large park there, much bigger than just the waterfront walkway,” Turner said. “The garden is already there, so that helps. It was the site of the evacuation center and it has a perfect view of downtown Manhattan from that site. It will honor not those who died and those who worked there, but everyone who came off that ferry that day. It’s a beautiful site for a lasting memorial.”
Turner said the Township Council will soon meet with prospective architects and designers to determine the actual make of the memorial.
“We’ll meet with the various groups to make sure that all sensitivity of the memorial is taken into consideration,” Turner said.
Prayers At the vigil last Sunday on Sept. 11, many Weehawken residents turned out to remember the fourth anniversary. “It turned out to be a nice service,” Turner said. “We had a lot of people participating.”
The service started with a moment of silence for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, then the audience lit candles to begin remembrance of 9/11.
Barry Baxmeyer, the chaplain for the Weehawken Elks Lodge, said an ecumenical prayer.
Then there were several people who rang the fire bell on Boulevard East, all representative of the various groups who lost lives on 9/11, ringing the bell once.
Weehawken resident Tim Gray, who lost his brother Chris on 9/11, had permanently moved to the township soon after that traumatic day. He represented the civilian victims and was the first to ring the bell.
Port Authority Police Officer Matt Nudelman, who helped deliver a baby in the Lincoln Tunnel earlier this year, represented the 47 Port Authority police officers who were killed that day by ringing the bell.
Weehawken Police Officer Carlos Berenger represented all the other uniform police officers who perished that day. North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue firefighter John Toomey represented all the New York City firefighters who died that day. Then NHRFR Battalion Chief Richard LaTerra rang the bell eight times in honor of all the victims.
Sarah Chemus then closed the ceremony with a stirring rendition of “God Bless America.”
Then, Mayor Turner recognized the four Weehawken residents, Evans, Klein, Vicario and Gray, who left their residences in the township on Sept. 11, 2001 to work in Manhattan, only never to return. Turner read their names and remembered them and their families.
Soon, everyone will have a chance to permanently remember them as well.