Big crowd expected for 9/11 memorial meeting in Wauconda
Wauconda Mayor Frank Bart has said a local memorial to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks would be "a unique opportunity" for people to remember that tragic day.
But some critics have questioned whether the proposed memorial - including a steel beam from one of the fallen World Trade Center buildings - belongs in Wauconda, far away from the cities targeted by terrorists more than 13 years ago.
"Why Wauconda?" local resident Igor Egorov said. "What is (the reason) for installing such a significant memorial in Wauconda?"
Everyone will get a chance to share their opinions Tuesday during the village board's second public review of the plan.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Wauconda High School, 555 N. Main St., rather than at village hall because a large crowd is anticipated.
The memorial is being considered for village-owned land near the police station on Main Street south of Route 176.
A roughly 20-foot-long beam from the World Trade Center site would be the centerpiece. According to design plans, the 13,000-pound relic would be displayed vertically on a platform.
Walls, benches and other elements also have been proposed.
The artifact is owned by a foundation created by former Gurnee Trustee Kirk Morris, who is behind the memorial proposal. Morris' son, Geoffrey, was a Marine who died in Iraq in 2004.
According to the latest plan documents, a plaque honoring Geoffrey Morris' sacrifice will be at the base of the beam, even though his death came three years after the terrorist attacks.
The project's cost has been estimated at $81,650. Organizers need to raise money to pay for the effort.
A local volunteer committee consisting of park district officials, veterans and other people has been working on the project, too.
Wauconda trustees discussed the proposal March 3 but delayed a vote to give the public more time to consider the plan and express their feelings.
Bart, a military veteran, was an early backer of the memorial and has voiced frustration about any opposition.
"Wauconda is a very patriotic community," he told the Daily Herald. "I can't understand why we wouldn't want it."
After trustees opted to postpone voting on the project, Bart urged them to "have the courage to do what's right" and approve the plan.
He also used a weekly email newsletter to residents to accuse some trustees of "allowing friendships and running mates" to disrupt the meeting process, a reference to the trustees and candidates running in the April 7 municipal election.
One of those candidates, Tim Howe, has been an outspoken critic of Bart and questioned aspects of the memorial plan at the March 3 meeting.
Trustee John Barbini voiced support for the project two weeks ago but heartily endorsed delaying the vote to hear from the public. He said he's received between 15 and 20 "mostly positive" emails about the project, and he's glad he waited to vote.
The extra time also allowed the village's attorney to add more detail to the contract with Morris' foundation, Barbini said.
"Taking the extra time has really paid dividends," he said.
Beams and debris from the World Trade Center are on public display in Mundelein, Algonquin, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Des Plaines and other suburbs.
Morris initially wanted to create a Heroes of Freedom memorial in Gurnee.
That proposal was designed to honor the soldiers from Lake County who'd served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Statues and other elements were proposed, and work began on a site in Gurnee, but the project wasn't completed. It led to a lawsuit between Morris and Gurnee that later was settled.