Midlothian to get World Trade Center fragment

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Updated: October 31, 2011 2:54PM

A fragment of the World Trade Center soon will belong to Midlothian.

Fire Chief William Sheehy announced this week that the village will receive a 130-pound piece of structural steel from the Twin Towers. The size of the historic remnant is 24 inches long, 24 inches deep and 7 inches wide.

“This is outstanding news,” Mayor Terrence Stephens said at Wednesday’s village board meeting. “We need to put it someplace where it can be publicly displayed.”

Sheehy said he was “very excited” about the gift. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owned the World Trade Center, has been making pieces of the wreckage available to communities for 9/11 memorials throughout the nation.

Former Fire Prevention Officer Kevin Bewley submitted an application for the memorial remnant about two years ago, Sheehy said.

“This gives our municipality a way to memorialize the lives of those who perished in the terrorist attacks, and it gives us a constant reminder of the protection we receive from our Armed Forces and others involved in our national security,” he said.

The mayor likely will appoint a committee to “find the best and most secure place” for the 9/11 memorial piece, according to Sheehy.

“It should be a place that is most viewable for residents of the village,” he said.