In 2021, For the 20th anniversary of the tragedy that occurred on 9/11 and changed our country forever, we agreed to take on a project brought to the association by Board Members Richard Andreu and Shawn Kukol, who run the Service Project Committee.  The Township of Lyndhurst, at the time of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, immediately erected a small monument to honor those lost during the events that unfolded, including so many members of the police and fire departments.  It was a brick podium inscribed with the names of the victims from the township and depicting the twin towers on the front of the memorial.  For the 20th anniversary, Rich, a resident of Lyndhurst and town leadership felt it time to rejuvenate and update the memorial and make the entire area adjacent to the ambulance corps a 9/11 memorial park.

The design, dreamt up by Rich, includes a pentagon shaped seating wall, which surrounds two pieces of reclaimed stone representing the twin towers.  There are paver walkways throughout the park, along with plantings, accent lighting, a grassy area and several gorgeous trees.  The project took three days, and we installed over 1200 sf of Cambridge Pavingstones, about 50 lf of segmental retaining wall, two 300 lb. reclaimed stones, 3300 sf of sod, three flowering cherry trees, many yards of mulch and river rock, a dozen or so boxwoods and over 50 perennials.  Low-voltage outdoor lighting was also installed to highlight the project and irrigation to keep everything healthy!  The estimated value of the 9/11 memorial we installed in Lyndhurst was over $75,000.

The Township was an immense help, running to get extra materials and arranging for lunch and refreshments each day (seriously, if you’re ever in Lyndhurst, you must visit Michaels Salumeria, Michaels Riverside and Villa Italia…all excellent food!)  Richard Andreu (Exclusive Stoneworks) and Shawn Kukol (Horizon Landscapes) oversaw the entire project and worked as hard as anyone!  Employees from Exclusive Stoneworks, Horizon Landscape, R & J Land Care, Al D. Landscaping and Yellow Wagon Landscape worked hard to complete the project.

Cambridge Pavers donated the pavers and wallstone, along with SiteOne, who also donated plant material and lighting.  DeBuck’s Sod Farm donated the sod and B & B Organic Recycling donated hardwood mulch.  Franks Truck Center provided breakfast each day and Braen Supply donated base materials for the paver walkways.  Stonehouse Nursery also provided poly sand and Stellato Funeral Home donated the memorial monument with the names of those residents lost on 9/11.  New Jersey Deer Control will also provide a year of service at no charge.

Each year it amazes me how so many people and companies come together to create these beautiful and meaningful projects. Thanks to the hard work and donations of our members, we are able to provide these service projects to our communities and make them a better, more beautiful world.  We’re able to highlight the talents and generosity of our members and we are all able to feel great about donating services to our friends and neighbors throughout the State of New Jersey.