9/11 +7

From the BCCT

Reflecting on a tragedy
A memorial service marking the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will be held at the Garden of Reflection this morning.
By CHRIS ENGLISH

After losing her husband in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Lower Makefield resident Ellen Saracini needed outlets for her grief and anger.

She found a big one in the Garden of Reflection Bucks County Sept. 11 Memorial. Located in Memorial Park at 1950 Woodside Road in Lower Makefield, the Garden will host a public ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of the attacks starting at 8:46 a.m. today.

For Saracini, whose husband, Victor, was the pilot on one of the planes hijacked by terrorists and flown into New York’s World Trade Center, it will be another chance to reflect on and appreciate the project that has occupied so much of her time and energy since that tragic day.

The Garden of Reflection was dedicated Sept. 30, 2006. But a committee, which includes Saracini and several others who lost loved ones in the attack seven years ago, continues to raise money for additions and maintenance.

“The Garden met every expectation I ever had,” Saracini said. “It brings in all the elements. In the beginning, you see the fragments from the Trade Center wreckage. Then, you come to the fountains and feel revived and that life can go on. The whole thing was such a senseless tragedy, but I think you can see from coming to the Garden that good prevails.”

Soon after the attacks, Saracini and others formed a committee to raise money and plan the Garden of Reflection. Other members included former Lower Makefield Supervisor Grace Godshalk, who lost her son William in the attacks, and township resident Tara Bane, who lost her husband, Michael.

Using a large federal grant and numerous fundraisers, the group raised more than $1 million for construction of the memorial and continues fundraising for maintenance and adding elements to the Garden.

Designed by Lower Makefield architect Liuba Laschcyk, the Garden of Reflection includes a statue made of steel beams and other wreckage from the Trade Center. There’s a pool with two fountains representing the twin towers of the World Trade Center that were destroyed in the attacks, along with the inscribed names of the 2,973 victims. The names of the 18 Bucks County victims are inscribed in bigger letters on a railing surrounding the pool.

Since the dedication, the committee has raised money for several additions to the Garden of Reflection. They include a 135-plant arboretum and memorial benches with epitaphs for the Bucks County victims. Several other benches sit near the Garden and were donated by various area residents in memory of loved ones.

Saracini said the committee is working on security cameras for the Garden, and with Verizon for wireless Internet access, which would allow people to work on laptop computers while sitting in the Garden. All Garden of Reflection expenses are handled by the committee, though the bidding process goes through Lower Makefield since the memorial is on township land.

Saracini is also working with state Rep. Dave Steil, R-31, and PennDOT on obtaining signs to be placed along I-95 and other nearby roadways directing visitors to the Garden.

Countless individuals, organizations and businesses have donated and continue to donate money, labor and materials for the Garden of Reflection, Saracini said.

Realty Landscaping of Wrightstown provides maintenance at a drastically discounted rate of about $13,000 a year, she said. To get an idea of how big a discount that is, one firm submitted a bid of about $30,000 a year.

“Realty also donated a lot of plants,” she said. “The people there just feel a real heartfelt commitment to keeping the Garden looking beautiful, and so they do it for a lot less money than they could charge.”

A 2006 estimate from the Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau indicates the Garden of Reflection gets about 100,000 visitors a year. Saracini said she hopes visitors steadily increase as the 62-acre township park surrounding the Garden is developed. So far, Memorial Park includes volleyball and basketball courts, and the township supervisors recently awarded a contract for construction of a softball field.

“We’ve found that after people visit the Garden of Reflection once, they keep coming back,” said Saracini. “People tell us they are thrilled to come to a place where they can feel so respectful and yet so relaxed. They feel at peace sitting in the Garden. The comments are always that it’s beautiful.”

For more information on the Garden of Reflection, call 215-493-3646 or visit www.9-11MemorialGarden.org on the Web.