SEQUIM — A memorial commemorating the nearly 3,000 people who died during the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, is in place at the Sequim Civic Center Community Plaza.
The memorial at 152 W. Cedar St. includes a dedication plaque at the base of the flag poles in the Community Plaza.
The plaque recognizes each of the three attack sites impacted that day: Shanksville, Pa.; New York City; and Washington, D.C.
An inscription on the plaque reads: “Through blurred eyes we find the strength and courage to soar beyond the moment. United, we look to the future knowing we can never forget the past.”
The cost of commissioning the bronze plaque was about $1,700.
Sheet metal from NYC
The memorial also includes an 843-pound piece of sheet metal from the fallen World Trade Center in New York City, which was destroyed by the attack.
The metal shard was part of a box beam that once stood in the Twin Towers plaza area.
The artifact was retrieved in 2011 by Sequim Police Chief Bill Dickinson, Sgt. Darrell Nelson and Officer Randy Kellas, and was stored by the Police Department for four years until it was incorporated into the plaza design for the Civic Center.
“Remembering these events and honoring those who lost their lives is important to members of the Sequim community,” Dickinson said.
“This memorial, including the new brass plaque, was almost entirely paid for from private donations from our caring citizens, with only a few hundred dollars coming from the Civic Center construction budget.
“It is rewarding to see the community’s patriotism and commitment brought to fruition in our new Civic Center plaza.”
The memorial is the second on the North Olympic Peninsula to feature a 9/11 remnant from the World Trade Center.
A portion of an I-beam from the World Trade Center is the focus of a monument at Francis Street Park in Port Angeles. It was dedicated Sept. 11, 2012.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
