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City Hall likely 9/11 artifact's new home
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Times file photo The 9/11 artifact brought back to Monroe from New York weighs 800 pounds. The section is believed to have been part of the floor structure between the 18th and 64th floors.
MONROE - City hall was the overwhelmingly favored site for displaying a World Trade Center 9/11 artifact in Monroe.

Members of the Public Property Committee and the Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners met Wednesday at the Monroe Fire Station headquarters to see the 6-foot chunk of twisted steel recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York.

Among the sites researched and suggested by Fire Chief Daryl Rausch were several city parks, city hall, the fire station headquarters and the library.

Each member at the joint meeting submitted their top three choices - and city hall was "overwhelmingly the first choice," according to City Clerk Carol Stamm.

In a vote to approve that first choice, members voted 10 to 1 in favor of the location.

Craig Tuttle voted against, saying he favored the old or the new fire station.

"I thought the fire house was appropriate because of the nature of the item, and the plaque will talk about the emergency responders," he said.

Monroe city hall is adjacent to the old fire station, which is still in operation, Monroe Police Department and the Green County EMS office.

The 800-pound I-beam was transported to Monroe in late April by members of the Monroe Fire Department. It is on permanent loan to the department from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The beam is believed by port authorities to be part of the floor structure, somewhere between the 18th and 64th floors, of the South Tower. It was recovered from the debris of the attack in late October, 2001.

Monroe is one of three community fire departments in Wisconsin to receive an artifact of this size, according to Rausch.

Rausch is trying to ready a location and a display in time for a dedication ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on America.