Photos by Township of Cranford
Restoration of 9/11 Memorial
Township of Cranford
The Township thanks Cranford Boy Scouts, and the Cranford Department of Public Works crews, for restoring the 9/11 Memorial at Crane’s Park.
Since the memorial was erected in 2003, each year Township employees work together to beautify the 9/11 Memorial in advance of the annual memorial service. This year the park received a complete restoration.
Cranford Boy Scout from Troop 75, Sean Hanna, chose to repair and upgrade the park and memorial for an Eagle Scout Award. He collaborated with fellow scouts, Township Administrator Lavona Patterson, and the Department of Public Works (DPW) to complete the project.
“We are so proud of our Public Works team and these young men who worked side-by-side all summer, often in scorching hot weather, to complete the work in time for the annual 9/11 Memorial Service. This Memorial was a result of residents and the Township coming together to create a lasting tribute to six Cranford residents who died on 9/11,” said Kathleen Miller Prunty, Township Commissioner and Public Works Commissioner.
“We thank those who worked tirelessly after 9/11, and the team that worked to create a beautiful public space to honor Dean P. Eberling, Christopher Michael Grady, Robert H. Lynch, Jr., Gregory Milanowycz, Thomas M. Regan, Leonard J. Snyder, Jr. and all those who were lost,” said Ms. Miller Prunty.
Sean, with help from scouts Eric Kimball, Colin Kimball, Max Drobitskiy and Arthur Hrycak of Troop 75, worked in partnership with DPW employees Gary Gonzalez, Adam Jackson, Anthony Gonzalez, Adam Kopnis and Luis Ruiz over several months this summer to complete the improvements, resulting in new landscaping, repairs of entrance steps to the park, resetting and replacing paver walkways, and repairs to the monument, including lighting.
Cranford Fire Chief Daniel J. Czeh thanked Township Administrator Patterson for her leadership to see this restoration project through to completion. “We truly appreciate the priority you put on the 9/11 Memorial Park. I’ve had my team assist the DPW with cleaning the park for the last nine years, as we felt the park needed additional TLC for the ceremony,” Chief Czeh said in a statement. “You made sure the 9/11 Memorial was upgraded, cleaned and ready.”
The 9/11 Memorial is located on the corner of North Union and Springfield Avenues, across the street from the Municipal Building. The memorial service, on Wednesday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m. hosted by the Cranford WTC Committee and the Cranford Clergy Council, pays respect to the six Cranford men and their families, along with the nearly 3,000 people who died on September 11, 2001, at the WTC, Pentagon and in United Airlines Flight 93 as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States.
