Farmington 9/11 Memorial Committee Hopes for Installation by Sept. 11

A Farmington monument that incorporates a beam from the World Trade Center could be completed in time for the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack that brought down the "twin towers". 

Farmington Public Safety Director Bob Schulz, who heads up a committee that has been working on the project, brought a "re-visioning" of the monument plans to Monday night's city council meeting. He asked for a "nod" from the city council to move forward with the project, in order to meet the Sept. 11 target. 

"Believe it or not, the granite could take up to four months to get in," he said. "It has to be ordered from India." Cost for that element alone is nearly $10,000. 

Designed by S3 Architects, the memorial will be set apart with landscaping features, and a bench will be installed, Schulz said. The fund-raising drive was launched in February, and nearly $20,000 has already been raised to pay for the piece, which would be located just west of a large magnolia tree in front of city hall. Additional donations of in-kind services have been promised. 

"That's typical of the great community we live in," Schulz said. "Everybody seems to step when we need it." 

This will be the third public 9/11 monument located in Farmington and Farmington Hills. In 2011, North Farmington High School dedicated a memorial that incorporates a World Trade Center beam, and the Farmington Hills Fire Department's 9/11 monument stands outside the entrance of Fire Station No. 5 on the city's municipal campus.