LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) — The sound of the falling water drowns out the noise of the surrounding city.
A stand of swamp white oaks, each one numbered and lovingly tended, protects this sacred place, and 23 years later, families still leave flowers on the sturdy slabs where the names of the dead are engraved in bronze and illuminated from below.
As the tourists leave and the sun sets, the water in the 9/11 Memorial pools slows to a trickle, and a busy army of workers takes over.
Overnight, the bronze plates, worn out by the constant influx of visitors, are restored by craftsmen with a torch in one hand and a paintbrush in the other.
Ten meters below, others pull out miles of hoses to clean the puddles of fallen debris and leaves. They work there in reverent silence, ensuring that this national storehouse of grief and hope remains pristine.
“It’s not just a bronze plate, it’s about how they progress,” said Tony Locasto, chief engineer.
Locasto leads the team responsible for maintaining the National 9/11 Memorial.
As a trained engineer, he is very familiar with the technical system of the monument.
But he also knows how important it is to keep this unique place, the footprints of the World Trade Center, where nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, untouched.
“Family members come to the memorial because they can remember their loved ones and reminisce,” he said.
The Cool, Pleasant Night Eyewitness News visited Locasto and his crew and no one complained about the weather. But the workers are there every night, no matter what weather they find.
“Fifteen degrees. Snow squalls,” he said.
All in the name of preserving this special place where sorrow and hope unite a nation.
“It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had,” Locasto said.
ALSO READ | Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager returns to work despite cancer
After her third battle with cancer, Stacey Sager has returned to Eyewitness News.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News
* More news from New York City
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news
* Follow us on YouTube
Send a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or story idea we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. When attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All rights reserved.
