Steel Beams from World Trade Center Find New Home with Launch of Project 9/11 Indianapolis

Transcription

1 Willis R. Conner, PE, President Gregory Henneke, PE, Executive Vice President Marlin A. Knowles, PE, Vice President Kenton Moore, Vice President Contact: Leslie Benson, Marketing Communications Coordinator Phone: Fax: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, April 1, 2011 Steel Beams from World Trade Center Find New Home with Launch of Project 9/11 Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS, IND. With the help of Mayor Greg Ballard and the City of Indianapolis, Ind., Project 9/11 Indianapolis has secured a home at 421 West Ohio Street, along the White River Canal. The monument, which will be erected on Sept. 11, 2011, in tribute of the men, women, and their unsung heroes, who were killed during the attack on the US 10 years ago, begins its journey now. We are very proud and humbled that Indianapolis will become the home for this important memorial, said Mayor Ballard. The monument will provide a space for residents and visitors to remember this tragic day in our history and the heroes who gave their lives. We must always lift high the memories of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001 the lives of public safety officers and the lives of civilians we must never forget. On Saturday, April 9, Greg Hess, former Indianapolis Task Force 1 Firefighter, one of the first FEMA Search and Rescue teams to arrive at Ground Zero on Sept.11, 2001, will bring back to Indianapolis two of the World Trade Center s steel beams, which are currently being stored in Hangar 18 at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. Upon arriving in Richmond, Ind., Hess will be greeted in front of the City Building on North Fifth Street by up to 7,000 supporters, including motorcyclists, firefighters, emergency vehicles, Indiana State Police and support vehicles, Indiana Air Search and their Rescue UH-1 Huey helicopter. From 10 a.m. to noon, patriotic supporters will convene for staging at the American Legion Post 65, 109 N. Sixth St. in Richmond. At 1 p.m., Richmond Mayor Sarah Sally L. Hutton will host a brief welcoming ceremony. The escort will depart from Richmond at 1:30 p.m. and head west along I-70, which will be closed to traffic during the historic ride to 1

2 Indianapolis. The beams will be driven to the Indiana War Memorial at 431 N. Meridian St. in Downtown Indianapolis for an arrival ceremony. Harvested from Ground Zero, the two 22 upright beams, each weighing more than 11,000 lbs., will be the focal point of Project 9/11 Indianapolis. The polished areas of the granite walls on the memorial will receive an image of a waving American flag overlaid by carved words in remembrance of the events of 9/11, and sitting atop one of the beams will be a bronze, life-sized American Bald Eagle, with its wings outstretched toward New York City. Civil engineering and architectural design companies such as American Structurepoint, Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, will donate time and materials to assist with the design and construction of the memorial. The City of Indianapolis was granted possession of the steel beams thanks to Hess months-long petitioning efforts of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Hess began the grassroots effort to establish a permanent memorial in Indianapolis dedicated to those killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center and the aircraft crashes in Shanksville, Penn., and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Mayor Ballard, Indianapolis Fire Chief Brian Sanford, Indianapolis Police Chief Paul Ciesielski, Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, Indiana Congressman Dan Burton and Indiana Congressman André Carson were instrumental in assisting in these efforts, Hess said. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Project 9/11 Indianapolis Memorial will be tentatively scheduled in May A formal dedication ceremony will take place on Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th-anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history. The Project 9/11 Indianapolis Memorial will become a part of the city landscape, which includes the USS Indianapolis Memorial and the Medal of Honor Memorial. For general inquiries about Project 9/11 Indianapolis, contact Greg Hess at (317) or greg@project911indianapolis.org. For questions about the event in Richmond, call co-organizer Bill Henry at (765) For more information, visit ### American Structurepoint began business in Indianapolis in 1966 and has since grown into a respected multi-discipline consulting firm recognized for its experienced professionals, quality work, and customer service. We have offices in Indianapolis, West Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Lawrenceburg, Terre Haute, Evansville, Highland and South Bend, Indiana, as well as in Columbus, Ohio. Engineering News-Record has consistently listed us as a national Top 500 Design Firm, and Midwest Construction magazine named us the No. 1 Indiana design firm in After 40 years of steady growth and with a staff of nearly 300 experienced professionals, we offer complete consulting and comprehensive design services. 2

3 STEEL BEAMS FROM WORLD TRADE CENTER FIND NEW HOME WITH LAUNCH OF PROJECT 9/11 INDIANAPOLIS by: Leslie Benson - Communications With the help of Mayor Greg Ballard and the City of Indianapolis, Project 9/11 Indianapolis secured a home at 421 West Ohio Street, along the White River Canal. The monument, which will be erected on September 11, 2011, in tribute of the men, women, and the unsung heroes who were killed during the attack on the US ten years ago, recently began its journey from New York to The Circle City. The City of Indianapolis was granted possession of the steel beams thanks to Hess months-long petitioning efforts of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Hess began the grassroots effort to establish a permanent memorial in Indianapolis dedicated to those killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center and the aircraft crashes in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. On Saturday, April 9, Greg Hess, former Indianapolis Task Force 1 Firefighter, one of the first FEMA Search and Rescue teams to arrive at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, brought back to Indianapolis two of the World Trade Center s steel I-beams, which were being stored in Hangar 18 at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. Upon arriving in Richmond, Indiana, Hess was greeted by thousands of supporters, including motorcyclists, firefighters, emergency vehicles, Indiana State Police and support vehicles, Indiana Air Search and their Rescue UH-1 Huey helicopter. We are very proud and humbled that Indianapolis will become the home for this important memorial, says Mayor Ballard. The monument will provide a space for residents and visitors to remember this tragic day in our history and the heroes who gave their lives. We must always lift high the memories of the lives lost on September 11, 2001 the lives of public safety officers and the lives of civilians we must never forget. Patriotic supporters met at the American Legion Post 65 in Richmond for a brief welcoming ceremony led by Richmond s Mayor Sarah Sally L. Hutton. The escort then departed from Richmond, heading west along I-70, which closed to traffic during the historic ride to Indianapolis. The beams were driven to the Indiana War Memorial at 431 North Meridian Street in Indianapolis for an arrival ceremony, where thousands of people gathered to pay their respects. Harvested from Ground Zero, the two 22 upright beams, each weighing more than 11,000 lbs., will be the focal point of the Project 9/11 Indianapolis memorial. The polished areas of the granite walls on the memorial will receive an image of a waving American flag overlaid by carved words in remembrance of the events of 9/11, and sitting atop one of the beams will be a bronze, life-sized American Bald Eagle, with its wings outstretched toward New York City. Civil engineering and architectural design companies, such as American Structurepoint, will donate time and materials to assist with the design and construction of the memorial. 4 may 2011 Mayor Ballard, Indianapolis Fire Chief Brian Sanford, Indianapolis Police Chief Paul Ciesielski, Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, Indiana Congressman Dan Burton and Indiana Congressman André Carson were instrumental in assisting in these efforts, Hess said. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Project 9/11 Indianapolis memorial will be tentatively scheduled in May A formal dedication ceremony will take place on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history. The memorial will become a part of the city landscape, which includes the USS Indianapolis Memorial and the Medal of Honor Memorial. Tax-deductible donations to Project 9/11 Indianapolis can be made at or by mail to Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Local 416, c/o Project 9/11 Indianapolis, 748 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana You can view more photos from this event here... P:\2011\00361\F. Images\Download Vault\

4 may

5

6

7

8