GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Two Green Bay aldermen say the decision to take down the city’s deteriorating September 11th memorial was made too quickly.
Aldermen Guy Zima and Andy Nicholson are asking for a re-vote, even though a deaccession ceremony was held last Monday, on the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
As part of the ceremony, a steel beam from the World Trade Center was transported from the memorial to the city’s police station.
The beam was considered by many as the most important part of the memorial.
“It went before the park committee five days before our last council meeting, which went on until 3 o’clock in the morning,” Zima tells WLUK.
“This was completely overlooked.”
The council unanimously agreed to remove the steel beam and have it rotate being displayed at the police and fire stations until it can be permanently placed at a future police and fire headquarters.
Green Bay alderman Randy Scannell is a little mystified.
“They get an agenda packet over the weekend. They know what’s in their packets. They know it’s coming up. Whatever time it is we discuss it is immaterial.”
Scannell was part of a subcommittee that evaluated options for the memorial, which is not only falling apart, but includes factual errors.
“The girder, which is the most important part of the monument was also never meant to be exposed to the elements, so we really should do something with that to protect it.”
“There is ways to protect everything,” said Zima.
“It’s in a place of prominence right now. Tens of thousands of people drive by it every day.”
The city’s public works department is waiting for a possible reconsideration vote before taking down the rest of the memorial.
If the council maintains last month’s vote, everything will be coming down in the next few weeks.
Scannell and Public Works Director Steve Grenier say they are unaware of anyone that looked into the cost for fixing the current memorial.
It was built in 2005 with $250,000 of donations.
