Long-awaited 9/11 Memorial at Spring Park breaks ground in Midtown Fort Collins

A 3,059-pound steel I-beam pulled from the World Trade Center debris currently sits on display in the lobby of the Poudre Fire Authority training center in west Fort Collins.

But next year, the beam will finally be brought to its permanent home: The 9/11 Memorial at Spring Park, next to Poudre Fire Authority Station No. 3 in Midtown Fort Collins.

A ceremonial groundbreaking event was hosted at the site of the future park on Sept. 11, but construction on the park won't begin for a few weeks, PFA spokesperson Annie Bierbower said. PFA hopes to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the memorial on Sept. 11, 2024.

The centerpiece of the memorial will be a 3,000-pound steel I-beam recovered from the World Trade Center and brought to Fort Collins in 2015.

Other features of the memorial will include:

• 343 rectangular-shaped paving stones on the walkways leading to the memorial, honoring the 343 firefighters who died in the attacks.

• A larch tree, planted behind the station by a retired PFA firefighter. The tree is a rare deciduous conifer, which means it looks like an evergreen tree but loses its needles in the fall and regrows them in the spring, PFA Division Chief of Operations Rick Vander Velde said. Incorporating the tree into the memorial represents new life and resilience.

• Displays where people can learn about the events of 9/11 and the journey of the steel beam from New York to Fort Collins.

A permanent memorial has been in the works since the beam was brought to Fort Collins. Vander Velde said he had the honor of escorting the beam on its last leg of the four-day cross-country road trip, from the state border to Fort Collins.

The fact that he got to help bring the beam to Fort Collins and on Monday got to participate and share his story during the memorial's groundbreaking "still gives me goosebumps," Vander Velde said outside Station No. 3 on Friday.

"It's just super special," he said.

Vander Velde is the last active firefighter at PFA who responded to ground zero shortly after the terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 people — including 343 firefighters and 60 law enforcement officers. Vander Velde responded with Colorado Task Force 1, a statewide disaster response group. At the time, he was a lieutenant with the Longmont Fire Department. He joined Poudre Fire Authority in 2015.

Seven PFA firefighters responded to ground zero alongside other Colorado firefighters: Jim Salisbury, Andy Vigil, Jeff Gillespie, Len Lindholm, Joe Gutierrez, Bryan Hanson and Tim England. Two other firefighters who now work for PFA — Vander Velde and Jimmy Durkin — also responded but were working at different departments at the time.

Firefighters from across the country assisted New York City firefighters in the days and weeks following the attacks. Vander Velde said they would only get a few hours of sleep each day while helping to clear rubble and remove debris from ground zero. To this day, he said, he recalls the pain in the eyes of the New York City firefighters and the kindness of all the residents there.

"The people of New York City opened their hearts and everything to us," Vander Velde said. "... It was an honor to go and represent (Colorado) and do what we could."

Vander Velde said creating this memorial is a way "to honor all the firefighters that came before us, to honor the firefighters that are here today, and then all the firefighters that are coming in the future."

"I think this gives us some significance to what we are here for, why we fight for each other and for the citizens that we serve," Vander Velde said. "The pride and ownership we have in this profession or craft is just so special."

Funds for the memorial have been raised through Fort Collins City Give, a program through which charitable donations may be made to city projects and facilities. So far, $200,000 has been raised for this project, with donors ranging from residents and small businesses to corporate partners including Anheuser-Busch, City Give Director Nina Bodenhamer said. PFA has contributed $80,000 and the city has contributed $300,000 toward the project, which is estimated to cost $650,000.

Fundraising for the memorial will continue as it is built this year and will likely be ongoing to fund maintenance and additional pieces the city and PFA may want to add later, Bierbower said.

To learn more about the memorial and how to donate, visit www.911memorialfortcollins.org.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to accurately reflect the most up-to-date plans for what the memorial will include.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins 9/11 memorial with steel beam from Twin Towers breaks ground