‘It's a concrete eyesore': Locals and survivors rage over New Jersey's ‘unfinished' 9/11 memorial
Survivors of the September 11 terror attacks and locals have blasted New Jersey's 'unfinished' 9/11 memorial as a 'concrete eyesore.'
Officials say the Empty Sky memorial is complete, but one of its designers and the families of those who perished say otherwise.
The monument in Jersey City's Liberty State Park consists of two brushed stainless steel twin walls, 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers.
The names of more than 740 people who lived in or had ties to the state are etched inside the reflective steel but the exterior concrete walls are still bare and have become stained over the years.
'It's a concrete eyesore. It looks horrible,' Jessica Jamroz, one of the memorial's designers, told NJ.com. 'It gives a sense of abandonment and forgottenness.'
Locals are not only upset over the aesthetics of the concrete walls, but the names of 18 New Jerseyans are still reportedly missing from the memorial, their families said.
And out of the 65 cherry trees that were planted to frame the memorial and bloom each September to symbolize rebirth, only five remain – and are in poor shape, according to the news outlet.
'It feels like the memorial's spirituality is under attack and no one really cares,' Jamroz added.
Michael Danatos, whose brother-in-law Brian Martineau died in the 9/11 attacks, called it 'a disgrace.'
'We're bumping up against 25 years and this is the best we can do?' Danatos, who approved the original design of the monument, asked.
One of the electronic kiosks for looking up names on the interior panels was not working last week, according to the outlet.
'The risk of leaving the memorial unfinished, and the site neglected, is that it could become over time instead an emblem of forgetting; of the decay of memory,' John J. Farmer Jr., who served as senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission and is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, added.
New Jersey officials acknowledged that the memorial is in need of some restoration work, in a statement to NJ.com, but disputed the claim that the memorial is unfinished.
'Unable to secure additional funding for the project, the architect, project manager and the state determined that the memorial must be redesigned to fit the project budget so that New Jersey victims of 9/11 could be honored by the state,' officials said in response to the outlet. 'The architectural design team developed a new design that only included stainless-steel cladding on the interior walls.'
Th Department of Environmental Protection manages the memorial and the Treasury funds the upkeep. The departments said the memorial 'is considered complete' in a joint statement.
Officials added that the DEP 'is consistently working on longer-term projects to improve the condition of the memorial's trees, lighting, and to modernize the kiosks that assist in locating names on the memorial.'
Danatos disagrees. 'It is an irrefutable fact the memorial remains incomplete, even though it was opened to the public in 2011,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Residents issue urgent PSA after nightmare species rapidly invades community: 'It's expanding as we speak'
Residents in Southern Arizona have sounded an alarm to raise awareness about an invasive grass taking over their area, KGUN reported. The highly invasive buffelgrass has pushed out iconic local species like mesquite trees and saguaros, while sapping the soil of vital nutrients and leaving the desert susceptible to wildfire, per KGUN. "We're on a relatively sharp slope downward to having this area of Southwest Arizona turn into grasslands," Bruce Grieshaber, a local homeowners association president, told KGUN. Originally introduced to Arizona in the 1930s for cattle grazing and erosion control, the highly invasive buffelgrass is native to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, according to the National Park Service. The same characteristics that led people to plant buffelgrass in the first place — its drought tolerance and abundant seed production — have allowed buffelgrass to spread out of control. It now poses a threat to the natural balance of the entire region. "Buffelgrass … is the archenemy of the Sonoran Desert — the invasive grass most likely to cause significant damage to the native ecosystem," the National Park Service warned on its website. Buffelgrass is well-suited for its native habitat of savannah grasslands, where wildfires are part of the local ecosystem cycle and other vegetation has evolved to survive the heat of the flames, per the NPS. However, in the deserts of Southern Arizona, the native vegetation is not similarly adapted, leaving it vulnerable to being wiped out in a fire. Local residents lack the resources necessary to get the buffelgrass under control, let alone eradicate it. Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Grieshaber told KGUN that his community has a 26-acre nature park that has been taken over by buffelgrass. "It's expanding as we speak," Grieshaber said. Despite the efforts of local volunteers, to remove all of that buffelgrass would simply require too much work, and the cost of paying to have the grass removed professionally is cost-prohibitive. The HOA even looked into bringing in sheep to graze on the buffelgrass. "We priced it out, and to do probably a couple acres, it would be thousands of dollars," Grieshaber told KGUN. Southern Arizona's struggles against invasive buffelgrass are a prime example of the impact invasive species are having around the globe. Similar stories are playing out elsewhere, with invasive species spreading deadly diseases, hurting crop production, upsetting trade, and crowding out native species. As average global temperatures climb, it aids the spread of invasive species, opening up new regions that previously were too cold for certain species to survive. Unfortunately, when it comes to invasive buffelgrass in Arizona and many similar situations, the only options available involve containment and not total eradication. However, putting even containment plans into effect requires dedicated resources. In 2014, Green Valley, Arizona, and the Pima County Flood Control District received a $70,000 grant to combat the spread of buffelgrass. Using those funds, locals were able to get the buffelgrass situation temporarily under control, per KGUN. However, when the funds ran out in 2017, the buffelgrass returned. Since that time, local HOAs have largely been left to manage the situation on their own. "We need a buffelgrass/wildfire mitigation grant so we can give relief to some of these homeowners associations that are spending thousands of dollars to keep this effort going," said Debbie Valley, president of the Green Valley Council, per KGUN. You can help combat the spread of invasive species in your own backyard or community garden by planting native species, switching to a natural lawn, or rewilding your yard. These steps save money on your water bill and landscaping costs while helping native wildlife like pollinators, birds, and small mammals. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Suzanne Ruth Klammer Suzanne Ruth Klammer of Albuquerque,
Jun. 27—Suzanne Ruth Klammer Suzanne Ruth Klammer of Albuquerque, New Mexico passed away on June 18, 2025 after a lengthy battle with dementia. Suzanne was born in Garfield, New Jersey to Ernest and Frances Samona on July 11, 1944. She graduated from Garfield High School and Patterson State Teaching College. In 1973 she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico with her family. She taught Special Education for Albuquerque Public Schools at Inez Elementary, McCollum Elementary and for Homebound Services. Suzanne loved playing tennis, card games, quilting, and traveling with her companion, Peter Koury. Suzanne is survived by her children Eric E. Klammer (Mark Gillespie), Kimberly Moore (Will), her sister Elaine Flynn (Bill), grandchildren Everett and Maggie Moore, and nephews John and Daniel Flynn. A gathering will be held on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at Daniels Family Funeral home, 7601 Wyoming Blvd. NE at 1 pm.
CBS News
18 minutes ago
- CBS News
Italian tribute painted over on Newton, Massachusetts street, outraging neighbors
The Nonantum community in Newton, Massachusetts is seeing red because for 90 years, the red, white, and green lines painted on Adams Street have been a symbol of Italian heritage. But now they say the City of Newton crossed the line, painting over the Italian lines without warning. Neighbors surprised, upset "Everybody is pissed off, it's terrible," said Jim Donovan, owner of Pressed Café Newton. "People have kind of been up in arms here today; there's been a lot of people on the street being very vocal." "It's upsetting," said Adams Street resident Paul Lupo. Parade on Adams Street in Newton, Massachusetts. CBS Boston "What's going on?" asked neighbor Margie Magraw. It's just three weeks before the before the St. Mary of Carmen Society Italian Festival and parade. Society Chairman Chuck Proia says even they weren't given notice. "In the last seven years there's been nothing that the city has told us they had a problem with, why now?" said Proia. "We had no idea that was going to happen last night, as a matter of fact I was working as a firefighter last night for the City of Newton, and I had no idea at all." Mayor cites safety reasons But Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller says by state and federal law the yellow center lines must be on Adams Street for safety reasons because of its traffic volume and width, adding she's been communicating with the group for months. The red, white and green lines on Adams Street in Newton were painted over with yellow. CBS Boston "What we're doing is marrying public safety and tradition," said Mayor Fuller. "What we let them know for quite a few months now is that we're going to have public safety with yellow center lines and also simultaneously allow the festival volunteers to paint the green, white and red of the Italian flag colors next to the yellow lines." Again, volunteers say they didn't know about that plan to paint the flag colors next to the yellow center lines. "I hope she's going to do it for us then, if that's the case, have her come down, take these yellow lines out and put the red, white and green back," said Proia. It's clear Italian pride is on full display in this community and neighbors can't help but feel their heritage is being chipped away. "Newton is very proud of its Italian community, truly it's a long-standing community," said Magraw. "It's a big deal for our community it really is," said Lupo.
