Firemen set date for dedication of 9/11 steel monument

The Clear Lake Fire Department plans to unveil and dedicate a memorial featuring a steel beam pulled from 9/11 wreckage in New York in a special ceremony set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Firefighters incorporated the memorial into the landscape of their new fire station, located at the corner of North 8th Street and 2nd Avenue North.  

“Along the main gateway into downtown Clear Lake, in front of the new fire station, the well-planned design invites those passing to stop and recollect,” said CLFD Public Information Officer Billy Krefft.  “It’s a proud tribute so we will all never forget.”

Krefft noted many have worked hard and donated monies, time, and resources to make the monument a tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice a reality.

“We will dedicate this reminder of terror, a celebration of brotherhood, to tighten the bond of all who were touched that horrible day in 2001” he added.

The ceremony will include a brief presentation describing how the project was planned and who was involved, followed by a moment to thank those who were instrumental in making each step of the planning phase and ultimately the construction possible.  Generous donations by Clear Lake Bank and Trust, Country Landscapes, the Clear Lake Noon Lions and Henkel Construction made the design and project a reality, said Krefft.

  The dedication ceremony will be followed by an opportunity for local and state government officials to share their thoughts with those in attendance on the anniversary of 9/11.  An open house will follow the ceremony at 7:30 p.m.

Clear Lake firefighters traveled to New York in May 2011 to bring back a piece of the steel salvaged from the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy at the World Trade Center in New York City.    It was given to the CLFD and brought to North Iowa May 19, 2011.  As the new monument was being designed and constructed, the steel was displayed for the public to view at the Clear Lake Fire Museum.

Fire Chief Doug Meyers said elements from a dozen ideas submitted for the steel were combined for the final design.  The monument will feature the steel atop a concrete pedestal wrapped in granite. Water will flow over the granite into a rock base.  It will be stationed at the northeast corner of the fire station.