Community News

Merokean building on a fateful legacy

Eagle Scout candidate constructs bench at community's 9/11 memorial park

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Just to the northeast of the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station is a long, rectangular park shaded by oak trees and hemmed in by a black, wrought-iron fence, with a date above the gate –– 09 11 2001.

The Town of Hempstead and the Merrick Park Home Owners Association maintain the property, which pays homage to the 15 Merrick and North Merrick residents who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center nearly 13 years ago.

The park is a quiet, solemn place, unnoticed by many passersby. It features a stone path and a granite monument that lists all of the Merokeans killed that day. Until recently the park lacked one key element –– a permanent bench where mourners could sit and reflect. Eagle Scout candidate Benjamin Heo decided to change that.

As his Eagle community-service project, Heo, 17, who will attend SUNY Binghamton in the fall to study bioengineering, built a large wooden bench in the shadow of the site’s monument. The bench, set atop a raised wooden platform supported by concrete cylinders, can seat up to a half-dozen people.

“It’s nice to improve the park,” said Heo, who has belonged to Merrick Troop 351 since 2008, when he was in fifth grade. “Now we have something permanent. Over the course of the project, I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.”

Thirty-seven volunteers helped make the project a reality. Together, they put nearly 30 hours of work into the bench. Local eateries donated lunches and snacks.

Barry Fox, president of the homeowners association, was among the volunteers. “It’s a somber but peaceful setting,” he said. The park “is a symbol to show the pride and strength of the Merrick community. The memorial can’t replace anyone’s lives, but it’s a cathartic place.”

Fox added that the park is a “work in progress.” He said he would like to add an irrigation system to better maintain the greenery that has been planted there over the years.

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