PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- Prince William County residents may soon be able to touch a piece of the World Trade Center.
The Board of County Supervisors this week gave county staff the go-ahead to acquire a piece of the building destroyed by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.
The hope is to construct a memorial in between the Liberty Memorial -- which focuses more on those who died at the Pentagon -- and the yet-to-be-completed public safety memorial.
County staff has had conversations already with the New Jersey Port Authority, which is storing pieces of the building.
Transporting and storing a piece of the Trade Center would cost about $10,000 -- money already identified in the carryover budget scheduled to be approved by the board Tuesday, according to County Executive Melissa Peacor.
The cost of the design and construction has yet to be determined, although the desire is to complete much of the project in-house, Peacor said.
Ideally, the memorial will be built and available for public viewing by Sept. 11, 2011 -- the 10-year anniversary of the attack that killed nearly 3,000 people.
One Prince William County volunteer firefighter was killed at the World Trade Center, and 23 county residents lost their lives on that day.
County architect Lou Ann Dorrier said they want to make sure the memorial is a "very visible, vibrant piece to pull people in."
Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart said he hopes the piece is big enough to be seen from the road, especially at night.
"This does not need to be a subtle piece," said Stewart, who hopes the proposed memorial will make the entire government and stadium complex more visible.
Pieces as small as a bolt and as large as a girder are available for acquisition, Dorrier said, and there are no specific restrictions on how the steel can be altered.
Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.
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