The People's 9/11 Memorial Wall, located in Hartsdale at Richard Presser Park on Central Avenue, has begun deteriorating, according to Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner.
The memorial, which was built in 2003 after a collaboration between the town of Greenburgh and Arts Westchester, consists of around 1,800 ceramic tiles from an art workshop that were affixed to a wall.
According to Feiner, many of these tiles began falling off the wall around eight years after the memorial was built. The tiles that were not damaged from falling were eventually placed back on the wall, but many have begun falling once again.
Now, around 80 percent of the tiles have fallen from the wall, and the only thing holding many of them together is the grout around each tile, Feiner said.
Because the tiles will not stay in place, the Greenburgh Parks Department has now started to remove the tiles in order to save as many of them as possible. They will be placed in crates until Greenburgh officials come up with a new plan for them.
To come up with this new plan, a working group consisting of Greenburgh officials, Arts Westchester, and community members will be formed, Feiner said.
"It's important that we never forget 9/11," Feiner said, also adding, "We will come up with a permanent memorial plan and are very disappointed to report this news."
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