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County gets state funds to fix site in Eisenhower Park
After the condition of the site drew the ire of East Meadowites, congressional leaders and others, Nassau County has secured $125,000 in state funding to repair the Sept. 11 memorial in Eisenhower Park.
The monument — which features plaques inscribed with the names of the 344 Nassau victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, steel beams salvaged from the World Trade Center and two aluminum towers representing the buildings that fell 15 years ago — was dedicated in 2007, and cost more than $2 million to build. It sits across Salisbury Lake from the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theater and various veterans’ memorials in the East Meadow park.
U.S. Rep. Peter King, of Seaford, said he contacted County Executive Ed Mangano earlier this spring because he saw that the memorial was in disrepair. Visitors and passersby first noticed that a metal sign at the entrance to the memorial had rusted. Other damaged elements of the memorial were noted on several Facebook pages that focus on East Meadow, including paths and plaques soiled by bird droppings and dirt, presumably brought to the site by geese and other birds that swim in the lake; cracked and missing tiles around a fountain that surrounds the towers; peeling paint and discoloration at the base; rotting wooden planters; and breaks in the chain-link fence surrounding the site.
State Assemblyman Charles Lavine, of Glen Cove, said he was disappointed that the memorial was permitted to fall into disrepair. That’s why he offered to help county leaders obtain $125,000 in state capital funding for repairs.
Accompanied by Mahopac resident Jay Winuk — whose brother Glenn, a Jericho native who worked at a law firm a block from the World Trade Center, died on Sept. 11, 2001 — Lavine announced on May 31 that the grant had been secured. Standing in front of the Eisenhower Park towers, he described the site as hallowed ground.
“There is more than symbolic value for this gorgeous piece of architecture,” Lavine said of the monument. “This is a place where we can come and think about what happened on Sept. 11, think about the loved ones we lost on that day. There is no better way to spend state money than in a public asset such as this.”
Mary Studdert, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, said that the county had invested more than $500,000 in maintaining the site in recent years. She explained that the monument’s builder, E&A Restoration, was responsible for repairing the damage resulting from the use of what she previously described as substandard materials.
“The warrantee expires this year, and the county is moving forward with a monument restoration project,” Studdert said. “The restoration is anticipated to significantly exceed $125,000.”
County leaders are currently developing the restoration plan, Studdert said, adding that it would address all of the issues that residents, King and Lavine raised. She noted that county capital funds would also be used for the repairs.
Some of the damage was repaired through spring maintenance, which Mangano orders each year. Thus far, Studdert said, every tile has been replaced, the monument has been power-washed, planters were removed and stained and tattered flags were replaced. Litter is removed daily, she added.
Explaining that residents and officials alike should realize that the state grant would not be enough to maintain a “remarkable architectural jewel,” Lavine said he hoped the memorial would be restored by Sept. 11, 2017. He said he was privileged to know Glenn Winuk, and emphasized that the memorial should be well maintained to honor the men and women like him who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.
Jay Winuk said that his brother was not only an attorney, but also an emergency medical technician and a volunteer for the Jericho Fire Department for more than 20 years. The 40-year-old was last seen heading toward the Twin Towers, presumably to help people out of the buildings, Jay said in Glenn’s New York Times obituary.
Before thanking Lavine for his efforts to secure the grant, Winuk said that the memorial is meaningful to his family. “I can’t wait to come back after the repairs are done to see the beautiful memorial back to where it should be,” he added.
