A memorial for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took a major step toward installation at Sedona Fire District’s Station No. 6.
The SFD Governing Board approved a purchase order of $8,600 for architectural and engineering services for the 9/11 memorial during its Wednesday, Dec. 16, meeting. The contract is with the Phoenix-based LEA Architects.
One of the reasons LEA was chosen was because it designed Station No. 6 and the board felt it would be the best firm to maintain the same architectural design for the memorial.
“LEA Architects has greatly enjoyed working with the Sedona Fire District in providing architectural and engineering services for Sedona Fire Station No. 6 and other associated projects,” LEA’s Lawrence Enyart wrote in a letter to SFD Chief Kris Kazian. “We are pleased to provide the following professional services fee proposal for architectural and engineering services required for design and documents for the Sedona Fire District 9-11 memorial.”
The centerpiece of a memorial is a 5-and-a-half-foot long, 2,900-pound piece of steel from one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. SFD Board Member Scott Jablow had made a request to have a piece of the girder brought to Sedona but it was more than a year before he received confirmation that the district would receive it.
The district is hoping to have the memorial completed in time for an official dedication during the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016.
In September, the board appointed a citizens’ committee, led by Jablow, to raise funds for the memorial. Since then, the committee has met on a weekly basis to discuss fundraising, hosting a website and architectural renderings provided by LEA Architects, a report states.
On Dec. 8, the committee interviewed LEA via telephone conference, after which, the committee voted unanimously to recommend LEA for the architectural and engineering design. As of this date, the committee has raised $8,658 to pay for this service, and continues its funding efforts for construction costs.
Even though the money was raised through private donations, the committee does not have to authority to spend it. So, an action was needed by the board, which voted unanimously to hire LEA.
“We felt LEA would be able to provide us with a lot more than other firms would give us,” Jablow said, noting that LEA already has the design standards in place in regard to Station No. 6.
