Blog

The Project

Scarlett’s Landscape just began work on a project for the City of Alhambra and the Alhambra Fire Department. The project consists of a whole new landscape and a 9/11 Memorial Monument with a World Trade Center (WTC) steel beam at Department Headquarters & Station #71 on 1st Street in Alhambra, CA. So what’s the story behind the WTC steel? How did the City of Alhambra come about getting this steel? And how did Scarlett’s Landscape, a family owned landscape design/build company out of Ventura, get involved in this project on the east side of Los Angeles County? We have a greater connection to the area than you’d expect. Check out the story below.

 

 

The History

As the 12 year anniversary of the September 11th attacks approaches in a month, pieces of the World Trade Center (WTC) are finding new homes and final resting places. Although the steel pieces are considered potential evidence in a number of wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, testing on the steel was completed in 2005. Since then the federal judge assigned to the cases has give the steel debris owner, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, permission to give away pieces to municipalities and non-profit organizations.

A big push began in 2009 to give away the last of the steel from the WTC. The Port Authority invited police and fire departments, mayors, and other city leaders from throughout the country to ask for pieces for memorials. “The best way we can honor the memory of those we lost on 9/11 is to find homes in the WTC Memorial and in cities and towns around the nation for the hundreds of artifacts we’ve carefully preserved over the years,” said the Port Authority’s executive director, Christopher O. Ward. The steel pieces, some weighing tons while others mere pounds, have been stored in Hangar 17 at Kennedy International Airport.  Machines regulate the humidity so the steel doesn’t rust in the 80,000-square-foot hangar. At last tally in 2009, there were 1,800 to 2,000 steel pieces, half of them being very large. Once formal approval is granted, the pieces can be taken away, at the recipient’s expense. 200 of the most familiar and iconic pieces have become a part of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

An approval process was put in place back in 2005 to ensure that the final resting place of the steel would be a place of dignity and respect. The first part of the process is to send in a request for the steel to the Port Authority. The agency requires a detailed description in each request of how the steel will be displayed as well as a detailed specification of the piece they have in mind. Individuals cannot receive artifacts, only municipalities or organizations. Lastly, requests for the steel must also be approved by Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the Federal District Court, who is overseeing the wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the attacks.

New homes for the steel range from parks, to airports, and fire stations. Pieces have gone as far as California, even France and Afghanistan. The bond between firefighters around the world goes deeper than country or even continental divide. Col. Yves Bussiere, head of a region of fire departments in France, wrote, “The Saint-Etienne fire brigade would very much like to exhibit an artifact from the World Trade Center in order to pay tribute to the victims, civilian and fire fighters of the 11th September attack.” Lee Ielpi, president of the September 11 Families’ Associate, sent letters to public safety agencies back in 2009 offering artifacts. “Any bona fide city, town, county, state, corporations, other countries, France, Paris, Lyon, that would want a piece of steel, it would behoove us to accommodate them,” he said. Many times the steel pieces leave the hangar in a solemn, almost formal and ceremonious way. There have been times where the steel has left the hangar draped in an American flag and escorted by Port Authority Police.

The Alhambra Fire Department became interested in receiving a piece steel from the Port Authority in 2011, but needed to come up with a plan and memorial. With support from the Alhambra Fire Fighters’ Association (AFFA), the city gave approval for the department to receive a steel piece on November 7, 2011. The AFFA then hired a local designer to come up with a conceptual idea for a monument for approval by the Port Authority. The city then began the process of getting funding together and turned to ‘The Art in Public Places Fund’. After receiving preliminary approval for the funds from the ‘City Arts & Cultural Events Committee’, the project was presented to the city council on December 17, 2012 and funding was approved.

Here’s a full list of where each piece of steel has gone: http://www.newsday.com/911-anniversary/where-world-trade-center-steel-lives-on-1.3078070

Article sources:

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/07/nyregion/07steel.html?_r=0

City of Alhambra City Council Agenda/Minutes: http://www.cityofalhambra.org/government/city_clerk/Agenda.html

 

Our Role

So how did Scarlett’s Landscape, a family owned landscape design/build company out of Ventura, get involved in this project on the east side of Los Angeles County? A representative with the City of Alhambra came to us in early 2013 after learning of our past public works involvement and our job for the City of Ventura with the VC Fairgrounds project we constructed back in 2012. We met with the fire department battalion chief and consulted with him on revising the conceptual landscape plan and creating an estimate off the revisions in order to fit what they wanted into their budget. At Scarlett’s Landscape, we do much more than just planting and lawn mowing. We do landscape architectural design, concrete work, walls, irrigation, and so much more, so we were a perfect fit for the job. Our typical work area encompasses the areas in and around Santa Barbara, all of Ventura County, and West Los Angeles County, so this was clearly much farther than we would typically go, but the amount of work made it worth it for us, and our flexibility, knowledge, and reputation set us apart and helped us win the job.

We’re so proud and honored to be a part of this new and historical monument for the Alhambra Fire Department, the City of Alhambra, and the Greater San Gabriel Valley. Part of this pride comes from our past and present connections to Alhambra and the San Gabriel Valley. We have family in the area; other members of the Scarlett’s family reside in the area, co-owner Tom Scarlett grew up in neighboring Glendale, our landscape architect, Jason, and design associate, Chris, went to college and resided for a time in the San Gabriel Valley, and other members of our team have family or friends in the area. It really is a true honor and privilege to be returning to the area to do this work. We look forward to completing the work and to the monument dedication on September 11, 2013, so be sure to check back on our website and Facebook for completed photos.