Remarks given to the March, 2003 Town Of Greenburgh Town Board.
My name is Richard J. Garfunkel, I live in the Glenville section of Tarrytown, and I would like to wish a good evening to the members of the Town Board and the Supervisor Mr. Paul Feiner and thank them for my opportunity to say a few words.
As a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, I was recently apprised of a very exciting concept. At the March meeting of the Board, we were introduced to a very interesting idea by the Supervisor Feiner.
In June of 2002, as a result of the disaster of 9/11 the Arts Council of Westchester commissioned the creation of individual tiles, through the efforts of 24 tile-making workshops, to be designed to honor the victims and memorialize the heroes of that tragic event. As a consequence of that effort, called the September 11th Memorial Tile Project, over 2500 tiles were designed and created by young people from all over Westchester.
Supervisor Paul Feiner addressed the Town Parks and Recreation Advisory Board with the proposition that the Town of Greenburgh should have these tiles as the centerpiece of a memorial dedicated to the memory of that tragic day in our history. As one member of the board, that enthusiastically backed Supervisor’s effort, I salute his effort. Because of the urgency of to become the first community to create an important place to display these tiles, Supervisor came to the Board for our advice and counsel. There was overwhelming support for this effort, I must report.
Because of the need to fund this project, I would like to suggest a type of lend-lease approach. My thoughts were to use non-taxpayer funds from the Parks and Recreation Developer Escrow account to finance the display of these tiles in a Memorial Park of Honor. I would also suggest, that as a consequence of this temporary loan from the Developer Escrow account, a public subscription effort be launched to replenish the monies used from this account. Throughout our history, from the Liberty Bell, to the Statue of Liberty, to the Iwo Jima Memorial, to Old Ironsides, and to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, public subscriptions have been used to create the payments for these sacred sites. We have the money now, and the effort should be made, at this critical time to create this place of honor, and to display these tiles as quickly as it can be done.
It was suggested that these tiles should be displayed on East Hartsdale Avenue. I would like to concur with that idea and thought. This site would be therefore available for many thousands to see and appreciate.
Richard J. Garfunkel, member of the Advisory Board
2801 Watrch Hill Drive
Tarrytown, NY 10591