World Trade Center beam to finally get permanent home in Lower Burrell

Lower Burrell's memento from the former World Trade Center in New York could be incorporated into a memorial in time for this year's 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

City council this month agreed to let Lower Burrell American Legion Post 868 display a steel beam recovered from Ground Zero.

The city was gifted a nearly 3-foot chunk of beam from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, one of more than 1,000 such remnants from the Twin Towers distributed to municipalities across the country.

Councilman Frank Trozzi, then in charge of the city's parks department, requested the memento.

The beam has been stored in council chambers at city hall since it arrived in 2011.

Officials tentatively planned to house it in an outdoor memorial in Burrell High School's senior courtyard. The thought was it would be a place accessible to the public and could be incorporated into educational programs for Burrell students.

However, Mayor Rich Callender said there have been second thoughts about the location due to security concerns of having unannounced members of the public milling around the school's front entrance.

Callender said the decision to relocate the beam was made with school officials' blessing.

Superintendent Shannon Wagner could not be reached for comment Friday.

Clair Ewing, commander of the local American Legion post, said his post has been interested in displaying the beam since it arrived in the city. He noted the post has incorporated it into at least one of the annual 9/11 memorial services it hosts.

“We'd love to have it,” Ewing said. “I think it would be a great thing for the community to put it in a more prominent position.”

Ewing and Callender said the new location will be very accessible and visible at the Wildlife Lodge Road post, which is across from Hillcrest Shopping Center and near the Peoples Library Lower Burrell branch.

Ewing said the design of the memorial is not finalized, but he expects it will include a brick base and a clear container to protect the beam from the weather. He said the memorial will be lit with a spotlight and monitored with a security camera.

Callender said it was important to him for the beam to be part of a 9/11 memorial honoring first responders — police, firefighters and paramedics — separate from the post's war memorials honoring veterans.

Ewing said that while the American Legion is very involved with veterans issues, it also supports the community in other ways, such as through Meals on Wheels and involvement with scouting organizations.

The post is one of a few organizations in the region that continue to host an annual memorial service on Sept. 11. Ewing said they plan to have the beam on display in time for this September's ceremony.

“It's pretty solemn,” Ewing said of the 9/11 service. “We try to honor and pay respect to those who lost their lives.

“This is just another way to show our appreciation for our freedoms.”

Liz Hayes is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4680 or lhayes@tribweb.com.