High Rock Park site proposed for 9/11 memorial

PHOTOGRAPHER: Lee Coleman

High Rock Park, where the Saratoga Farmers’ Market holds its outdoor market days in the spring and summer, is the recommended location for the 9/11 Memorial sculpture made from World Trade Center steel.

The closely guarded secret was unveiled at Tuesday’s City Council meeting by a special committee appointed to select a location for the sculpture.

“It’s a calm setting which a lot of people wanted,” said Joseph Dalton, former president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the special committee appointed by the city to select a site for the artwork.

The location of the sculpture became controversial this summer after Saratoga Arts, the non-profit organization that commissioned the sculpture, decided it was too big to put in front of the Saratoga Springs City Center on Broadway.

Some thought the lawn in front of the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center on Broadway would be a good location, while others wanted it located near the firehouse on Lake Avenue.

Mayor Scott Johnson and the City Council finally decided to appoint a special committee to carefully consider all locations and make a recommendation to the City Council.

Dalton said the 13-member committee considered dozens of locations, held two public meetings on the issue, and finally decided on the downtown park.

The size of the sculpture, which was created by two local artists and called “Tempered by Memory,” was a consideration during the committee’s more than two months of work.

Dalton said the sculpture, made from twisted pieces of steel from the World Trade Center destroyed by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, is 24 feet tall and, with a three-foot-high foundation, stands 27 feet.

The City Council did not make a decision on the recommendation on Tuesday, or even voice any opinion. At least one public hearing will be held by the council before a vote is taken on where to locate the sculpture in High Rock Park on High Rock Avenue.

The suggested location is north of the farmers’ market pavilions and between two mineral springs in the park.

Dalton said the committee held five evening meetings as well as two public hearings and decided to recommend just one site. A minimum of 60 percent of the committee members needed to vote in favor of the recommended site.

“It fits into the topography,” Dalton said. “It provides quietness for people.”

The location is within walking distance of the Saratoga Springs City Center and the New York State Military Museum.

Saratoga Arts, formerly called the Saratoga County Arts Council, has raised nearly $200,000 in cash or in-kind services to have the sculpture created by artists Noah Savett of Gansevoort and John Van Alstine of Saratoga County. The completed sculpture is currently housed at Savett’s studio in Gansevoort.

The project is not funded by taxpayer money.

The special committee selected by the City Council included past city officials, such as former Mayor A.C. Riley and former Public Works Commissioner Thomas McTygue, and a variety of other prominent local residents.

The City Council will announce the date and time of the public hearings that will be held before a final decision on the recommended site is made.