Glass from Twin Towers donated for 9/11 memorial in Meredith

MEREDITH — The 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is just over a month away. Donations of money and sentimental significance have been given to the Meredith Fire Department for a new memorial.

The groundbreaking of the new memorial garden, which will be the home of granite models of the World Trade Center towers, took place July 21. Town Manager Judie Milner attended the groundbreaking, and invited Fire Inspector Gary Pariseau to give an update to the selectboard on July 27, and tell them about a special donation.

Pariseau said $24,950 in private donations had already been collected, and organizers cleared the necessary state Department of Transportation hurdles to get going on the project.

Pariseau brought a letter from retired Battalion Chief Daniel Daly, of the New York City Fire Department. Daly is Pariseau’s son’s landlord in Hopewell Junction, New York, and when he heard about the memorial, he donated two pieces of glass he recovered while serving as a firefighter at Ground Zero after the towers fell.

“He has an incredible story from 9/11 of what he did,” Pariseau said. “He was a captain at the time, and when 9/11 happened, he actually went home to his fire station and they commandeered a mail truck to take him to Ground Zero when he was there, working quite a few days and nights.”

Daly sent a letter, which Pariseau read aloud to the board. He recounted the story of when he first found the pieces of glass, saying they looked like two ordinary stones scattered in the debris.

“It wasn’t until I cleaned them that I realized they were something extraordinary — beautiful, green-tinted pieces of glass that glowed like emeralds,” Daly wrote. “In a place marked by unimaginable loss and sorrow, they seemed to carry a quiet beauty and a powerful meaning.”

Daly said he used some of the glass to make crosses for families whose loved ones died on Sept. 11, hoping they are a small reminder of the people they lost, and that their sacrifice and spirit wouldn’t be forgotten.

Daly kept three pieces of the glass, and has now entrusted two of them to the Meredith Fire Department for the new memorial. He said it brings him great comfort knowing the pieces, which were recovered from sacred ground, now have a permanent home in a memorial to honor those who died.

“May these fragments stand not only as remnants of destruction, but also symbols of remembrance, resilience, and the unbreakable bond shared by firefighters, first responders and the families forever changed by September 11th. May we never forget.”

Building the memorial was approved by the selectboard June 8. At that meeting, Chris Maroun, of Miracle Farms, said they had designed the memorial. The memorial will be at the south side of the fire station, with an accessible walkway for anyone with mobility challenges, and benches.

The plan also includes 18-inch seating walls, amid a landscaped area with two 3x1-foot granite towers on display, along with a plaque.

A pre-construction meeting was held Thursday morning at the fire station, and Chief Ken Jones said it went well, and construction could begin as soon as this week. The area was marked off by Miracle Gardens crews, who are responsible for creating the memorial garden. He said the cost will be between $45,000 and $50,000.

The 9/11 Remembrance Committee was created by the Meredith Fire Department and American Legion Griggs-Wyatt Post 33, and has been leading the way in planning and fundraising.

Donations have come through a sponsorship program, with tiered levels. Checks can be made out to the Wamesit Engine Company, the relief association for the Meredith Fire Department.

There have been minor changes since the memorial was approved, notably in an opening ceremony this fall, on Sept. 11. Pariseau said the granite towers were going to be displayed at Hesky Park for the ceremony, but Cemetery Sexton Bob O’Neill said there was an 80% chance they would be damaged if moved.

Instead, a ceremony will take place at Hesky Park as planned, with an unveiling at the memorial garden that follows. Lunch will be served at the fire station. The ceremony will begin at noon.

In the event it rains, the ceremony will be moved to the fire station’s lower bay, and lunch will be served in the upper bay.

Jones said the project has gone above and beyond his expectations, and he was thankful for Daly’s contribution.

“Thank you to Gary Pariseau for leading the charge, and having that connection with New York is more than I could have imagined.”