RUMFORD — The Select Board has backed a proposal by Town Manager George O’Keefe to create a memorial commemorating the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, at the old Central Fire Station flag pole, 145 Congress St.

“I think it would be appropriate for the town to install a memorial to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, just underneath the flag pole at the old Central Fire Station where the firefighters memorial used to be,” O’Keefe told the board Sept. 17. The firefighters memorial is at the new fire station at 61 Falmouth St.

O’Keefe said the site seemed appropriate considering its history as a memorial site.

“First of all, this was the fire station that was in service in the town of Rumford at the time of the event,” he said. “Second, that was already sanctified ground in the civil sense by the town for a very long time, and it was a memorial to firefighters. This continues its function as a memorial to firefighters, but in a different way, certainly to all the victims of the attacks. Also, it’s very prominent. It’s right next to the Town Hall.

“So, I think, overall, that particular site, if there ever was a location to put a memorial to 9/11, that strikes me as an exceptional suited one,” he added, “and it also has its own flag pole.”

O’Keefe said he envisioned a 6-foot monument that included a direct link to the attacks.

“If the Select Board approves this, I would get in touch with the relevant authorities in New York and seek the acquisition and donation of a piece of World Trade Center steel to be installed at that site,” O’Keefe said.

While the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officially concluded its WTC Artifact Program, which distributed more than 2,600 pieces of steel to communities, towns still successfully acquire steel through alternative avenues, grassroots coordination, and proper planning.

O’Keefe said it’s common for Sept. 11 memorials to have pieces of the World Trade Center steel included.

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