North Hempstead memorial to include names of residents lost to 9/11-related illnesses

Twelve years ago, the Town of North Hempstead secured a steel beam recovered from Ground Zero meant to be the centerpiece of its planned 9/11 memorial.

Four years ago, the beam was installed at Manhasset Valley Park. 

And now, nearly 24 years after the terrorist attacks, town officials say a more expansive memorial can be finished by September. The board earlier this week approved a $496,000 agreement for the memorial’s final phase: construction of a granite, semicircular wall wrapping around the steel beam.

The wall will be inscribed with the names of North Hempstead residents who died on 9/11, as well as those who’ve since died due to illnesses stemming from the attacks. There will also be empty space on the wall to include the names of residents who die in the future from 9/11-related illness.

The board on Tuesday voted 7-0 to approve the contract with Great Neck-based Galvin Brothers and Madhue Contracting.

“We’re glad that the contractor believes that if they can get started now, it would be ready by this September,” Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in an interview. “We were hit hard, because of our proximity to the city and our excellent train station; a lot of our residents did ride the train that morning and died.” Fifty-six town residents died on Sept. 11, town spokesman Umberto Mignardi wrote in an email. 

Funding reallocated

Funding for the project comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The town in December reallocated $3.8 million it received from the coronavirus aid package, originally earmarked for a planned dredging of Manhasset Bay. Officials said that project was far from ready, and if the money wasn’t appropriated by the end of last year, the funding would’ve gone away.

North Hempstead's current memorial, where the town holds its annual ceremony on the anniversary, includes a plaque with the names of residents who died on 9/11.

An estimated 400,000 people in the aftermath of the attacks were exposed to toxic contaminants, as well as physically and emotionally stressful conditions and increased risk of injury, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website. 

Oyster Bay Town has a 9/11 memorial bearing the names of residents who died in the attack, as well as a "Walls of Honor" monument with the names of those who've since died due to a related illness, spokesman Brian Nevin said in an email. Hempstead Town has a memorial featuring the names of residents who died on 9/11 and after due to illness, spokesman Brian Devine confirmed in an email.

John Feal, a Nesconset resident and advocate for 9/11 first responders, said in an interview that municipal memorials are a “reminder of how great the people were that went to Ground Zero, and a reminder of humanity."

“The further we get away from 9/11, people forget about that beautiful Tuesday morning that turned into the most horrific day in American history,” Feal said. “I think the city, the state, the local, the federal government should play a role with the people that intend to build these memorials.”

New place for names

Deputy Supervisor Joe Scalero said during the meeting the town would abandon plans to build a concrete amphitheater at the memorial. Kristin Seleski, the town's commissioner of public works, said a dais and chairs will be set up at the memorial during the annual ceremony. 

During the board meeting, Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte, a Democrat, asked if the plaque, which also includes the names of current and former town officials, would remain at the site. Some Republicans bristled at the question, prompting a fresh round of partisan bickering on the dais. Republicans control the board by a 4-3 majority.   

DeSena said in an interview the plaque is likely to be removed as part of the final phase. 

"This is not about us, this is about paying tribute to those who gave their lives for us, and supporting their families," DeSena said.

Dalimonte said her question about the plaque was rooted in wanting to preserve the names of those lost during the attack. 

"I just want to make sure the names that are on that plaque, of every member in the Town of North Hempstead that perished on 9/11, is remembered," she said.

Tom McDonough, the president of the town's Civil Service Employees Association Unit 7555 and a volunteer firefighter with the Port Washington Fire Department, responded to the attacks on Sept. 12, 2001. He said in an interview he was grateful the memorial was nearing completion. His mother and brother, first responders from Great Neck, have since died from cancer after being exposed to toxins on that day, he said. 

"I'm happy it's finally being done," he said in an interview. "It's been a disservice to the residents of the Town of North Hempstead that it's taken this long." 

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.