Foxborough Breaks Ground on 9/11 Memorial

It was a historic day in Foxborough, as Chris Mitchell, organizer of , travelled to New York early Thursday morning to bring back to Foxborough a piece of steel from the World Trade Center Artifacts Project. The steel piece will be used in the town's September 11th Memorial. Chief Roger Hatfield and Chief Edward O’Leary were both instrumental in getting the approvals needed to receive the artifact.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the memorial took place at 3 p.m. Thursday, shortly after Mitchell arrived back in Foxborough. Selectmen, citizens, town officials, safety officials, Fire Chief Hatfield, and Rep. Jay Barrows gathered at the Foxboro Public Safety Building to witness the groundbreaking ceremony.

Chief Hatfield, visibly exhausted from a long 24 hours of emergency calls from Wednesday's sereve weather, was the first to speak.

"We have a special gift from New York. Mitchell travelled to New York and brought it [the artifact] back to this great community," he said. 

Mitchell spoke soon after. He spoke of his gratitude to everyone who helped in making today a reality. 

"Its hard to put into words how Joe Lally and I felt walking into Hanger 17 at JFK Airport [this morning]," said Mitchell.

Visibly choked up, Mitchell concluded his speech by saying that he wished a lot of things had happened differently over the past 10 years.

"I wish we didn't have to make a trip to New York. I wish we weren't about to break ground on this memorial -(I wish the planes never took off), but they did and changed the world most of us knew," he echoed. "The purpose of this memorial is to honor the past and educate the future."

The fundraising for the September 11th Memorial started on Foxborough Founders Day in 2010. In today’s economy, raising the funds needed has been challenging.  "Foxboro Never Forgets" is within $30,000 of their goal. The order for the granite needed to construct Foxboro’s September 11th Memorial has been placed and the group is confident that through the good citizens of Foxboro, they will reach their goal.

"Foxboro Never Forgets" is hopeful that the memorial will be built and dedicated this September, which will mark the 10th anniversary of September 11.