Kiwanis Put Finishing Touches on Sept. 11 Memorial

A Hermosa Beach memorial tribute to all who lost their lives on U.S. soil due to the 9/11 attacks has been completed.

The most recent work, the installation of solar lighting to illuminate the memorial at night, was done Saturday by Mike Miller, J.R. Revisky, Mike Flaherty, Don DeMaderios and Rick Koenig along with Steve Shea of Native Concepts and Landscaping and Branden Rubasky of United Airlines.

"Tomorrow marks the 11-year anniversary of this tragedy," wrote Carol Russell in an email. "Please stop by the memorial and view what a small community can do!"

The permanent memorial is located on the greenbelt at the intersection of Pier Avenue and Valley Drive. It consists of a custom-designed bench, brought to life by the  Chaplain Program and members of the  at . Builders Club members solicited donations of buttons that have been permanently affixed to the bench, each button representing one of the lives lost in the attack. 

The second phase included a monument designed to replicate the Twin Towers. The monument contains a piece of steel from one of the buildings. The Towers were made by Dave Shaw Concrete. A pergola was erected over the bench to allow visitors to sit and reflect in the shade of the greenbelt on the 9-11 attacks. 

Said, Kiwanis member Miller, “The 9/11 memorial in Hermosa is a beautiful tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in one of the biggest tragedies our country has ever witnessed. The lighting of the memorial is a symbolic gesture that day or night, the people we lost will never be forgotten.”

The 12-volt photovoltaic lighting system was designed by Sepco Lighting of Florida and purchased by Kiwanis to illuminate the memorial with clean power, said Miller.

The Builders Club and Hermosa Kiwanians worked with the City of Hermosa Beach Police and Fire departments as well as representatives from United Airlines and American Airlines to make the memorial a reality, according to Hermosa Kiwanis. The airlines donated wings in memory of  the flight crews who lost their lives. The wings grace the top of the bench. 

Cathy McCurdy and Michael Goergen provided guidance to the Kiwanis youngsters. The memorial required going before the city's planning commission and City Council for approval.

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