[0:00] This government meeting is brought to

[0:02] you by Eastworks and our local cable

[0:04] subscribers.

[0:22] to order this meeting of the 911 tribute

[0:26] committee. We have four members in

[0:28] person and we have three absent. Um we

[0:32] don't believe we have anyone here for

[0:34] public speak. So we will move right on

[0:36] to our first um first item which was

[0:39] discussion of design ideas and I believe

[0:45] uh Tom had sent out an email.

[0:50] Believe it was an email.

[0:52] >> Yeah.

[0:53] Um yeah, regarding the online

[0:56] monument quote, I agreed to research

[0:58] determined that is more practical work

[0:59] with a local company for custom

[1:01] specifications we require. Still

[1:02] awaiting final quotes. However, I have

[1:04] attached a photo the stone for reference

[1:07] engraving on the stone simply to give us

[1:09] an idea of the characters that we'll

[1:12] have to work with based on the quote we

[1:14] get. Um

[1:17] then we've all seen

[1:21] that one there. Yeah. Um, I be able to

[1:23] print it out. Fantastic. Uh, and then I

[1:26] know we had wanted uh to kind of send

[1:31] draft ideas of what we wanted to

[1:34] actually have on the engraving. Uh, I've

[1:37] received none since I also didn't do

[1:39] one. So, so I think we're all

[1:42] >> Yeah, we're all guilty a little guilty

[1:44] of that one. Uh

[1:47] >> I feel like that should perhaps come

[1:48] from

[1:50] whoever designs it too to some like we

[1:54] can say these are the like parameters we

[1:56] want to include X Y and Z but

[2:00] I mean the I keep going back to the

[2:03] charge of the committee but you know was

[2:04] to come up with the RFP so that someone

[2:06] could design it and have like

[2:10] that contribution you know

[2:13] >> um so if we're like do this, say this,

[2:17] you know, use these materials. It kind

[2:20] of takes away from that.

[2:22] >> Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead.

[2:23] >> Yeah. My thought was is that if this is

[2:26] going to be private funding, then

[2:27] there's no RFP process required.

[2:32] » Well, then is there a committee

[2:34] required?

[2:36] I mean, uh, I think the goal of the

[2:40] committee at this point or even from the

[2:42] start was just to to come up with a, uh,

[2:46] 911 memorial. I think the approach of,

[2:51] you know, trying to do the RFP, doing

[2:52] the outreach, um, I think was one

[2:55] approach.

[2:57] If we were getting funding from city

[2:59] council, I would say it should be the

[3:01] approach because, you know, if you're

[3:02] getting the taxpayer money to go that it

[3:05] should be going to, I think an artist in

[3:06] the community where we're doing the

[3:08] fundraising ourselves. I think the goal

[3:11] really just does become creating the the

[3:14] monument. And I think it is, yeah, the

[3:17] charge of this committee to determine

[3:19] what that monument should be. Um, I'm

[3:21] not opposed at all to uh, you know, the

[3:24] RFP idea.

[3:28] I just think

[3:30] I think fundraising is going to be where

[3:32] a lot of the um committee's energy is

[3:35] going to be where if we were getting um

[3:38] some type of stipen to do this then I

[3:39] think the energy could have really put

[3:40] into an RFP. But you know what are what

[3:44] are people up for? Uh because I think

[3:46] after the

[3:48] override the override doesn't pass I

[3:51] will no longer be on this committee. Um,

[3:55] so it's going to be down another member.

[3:58] So the question really is, you know, if somebody I I think Tom will probably

[4:03] be taking lead on fundraising. That's

[4:05] what I've gotten from my conversations

[4:06] with them. If, again, if you want to

[4:09] take lead on on trying to get an RFP

[4:11] together and doing the outreach to

[4:12] artists, that's still very much on the

[4:15] table. It's just where do people want to

[4:16] be working on this? Um, I just think my

[4:21] opinion realistically, I know where we

[4:23] all had this idea of, well, we'll all

[4:24] write something quickly and then we all

[4:27] have what we do in our day-to-day lives.

[4:30] It's um, realistically, but, you know,

[4:34] are you up for for putting that in

[4:36] there? Because I think that's that's a

[4:37] lot and it's why I'm hesitant to

[4:40] volunteer for something like that. Um, I

[4:44] would not want to volunteer anyone for

[4:46] that, but if you're up for it, like it

[4:48] is we are well in the stages where um,

[4:53] we could definitely still do that.

[4:57] >> Not sure how to capture any old he just

[4:59] said. I was just listening. I'm like,

[5:02] wait, I'm not writing.

[5:04] >> We've got a focus on on fundraising. Uh

[5:07] and the question is do we want does does

[5:10] anyone here want to do the the the work

[5:12] for outreach to artists? Um there there

[5:16] is some middle ground I guess. I mean

[5:19] certainly we could try to figure out a

[5:21] way to to interest artists in submitting

[5:24] some sort of ideas.

[5:27] I don't know whether

[5:30] this the writing skills and the artistic

[5:33] skills

[5:35] are going to exist in in a sing in a

[5:37] singular person. So I don't know that I

[5:41] mean we we could we could try and see

[5:42] what they come back with.

[5:45] >> I I I would say

[5:48] well two things. one um the charge which

[5:52] I happen to have in my little folder

[5:54] here does not specify

[5:57] artists. It says um a contractor that

[6:01] specializes in memorials, monuments and

[6:03] or similar specialized experience. So

[6:05] it's

[6:07] there's that um which doesn't I think

[6:11] exclude artists but it doesn't it

[6:14] doesn't specify artists. Um, I think

[6:17] getting the idea right um and that we

[6:24] can I I I think it does matter um that

[6:26] we come up with some kind of language.

[6:29] It doesn't have to be the final

[6:30] language, but just to just to express

[6:32] like what it is we want this thing to to say. Um, I'm a word person and I of

[6:40] course I I didn't I didn't draft

[6:42] anything either, but um but I do think

[6:44] that that it's not you know I mean I

[6:46] know we've talked about what we want

[6:48] this thing to say but I think that it

[6:50] would help us to identify the right

[6:55] person, company, organization, artist um

[6:58] or someone who really wants to do it. If

[6:59] we say like this isn't the story we want

[7:01] to tell like this is why this is why

[7:03] this this this monumental memorial this

[7:07] is why East Hampton

[7:09] this is why this is you know this is

[7:11] what it does. So

[7:14] >> um but I think that having you know if

[7:17] we especially if we want if we end up

[7:19] with an artist doing we do want them to

[7:22] bring their their vision.

[7:25] >> Yeah. I guess it's not as much like it has to be an artist. I

[7:30] think it just needs to be somebody who

[7:32] >> who wants to make this whether that's a

[7:34] crafts person or you know a stonemason

[7:36] or an artist or you know whatever. Um,

[7:41] I mean my concern because initially one

[7:44] of the first places was by the

[7:47] fire and police building

[7:50] >> and to me like something like what this

[7:52] says which is you know on September 11th

[7:56] all these people

[7:57] >> died and it was a tragedy like

[8:01] makes more sense next to something like

[8:04] that where people are dedicated to

[8:06] risking their lives every day and the

[8:10] cause of, you know, serving the

[8:12] community as opposed to by the pond

[8:15] >> which is like where people go to relax

[8:18] and have RNR and, you know, fish and

[8:22] play with their families and that kind

[8:23] of thing. Um,

[8:26] to me that seems like a very heavy

[8:29] message to be sending like

[8:31] >> and to outsiders who come to East

[8:33] Hampton, you know, and they're like,

[8:35] "Oh."

[8:37] Um,

[8:41] I agree. But that's I mean

[8:44] on that.

[8:45] >> Yeah.

[8:45] >> And I know that's not like exactly

[8:47] what's going to be written,

[8:48] >> but something in that more traditional

[8:50] vein

[8:51] >> I think makes more sense there than Yes.

[8:53] by the I agree. I agree.

[8:56] >> What do you all think?

[8:59] >> Um I was troubleshooting here a little

[9:02] bit where Tom apparently is trying to

[9:04] join online. So, I was just getting him

[9:06] the uh the information here. Um

[9:11] or what?

[9:12] >> Well, I think it's invisible over on the

[9:14] side of the cultural safety context.

[9:17] >> Yeah.

[9:18] >> And that's the really the only reason

[9:20] that I don't think that's a great spot.

[9:22] >> Yeah.

[9:24] >> And I like the uh And again, I like the

[9:25] pond just because it it it fits into the

[9:28] theme of reflection.

[9:29] >> I like I like the pond as a location. I

[9:32] just want to be sure that we're doing

[9:34] the right thing by the pond.

[9:36] >> Yeah. Not making the pond into like a

[9:40] place that people are like, "Oh, that's

[9:42] stressful."

[9:51] » I mean, as far as the concepts that Tom

[9:54] provided, I like them both. I think

[9:56] they're both interesting. Um, they're

[9:58] two different kinds of work. you know,

[10:01] so that I guess it depends on who we can

[10:04] find that's interested.

[10:08] I know that he had mentioned um an

[10:10] individual that does metal sculpting,

[10:14] which in my mind fits this concept.

[10:17] >> And what was remind me in the email he

[10:19] said that was a replica of something.

[10:22] >> This is Well, I think this is a replica

[10:24] of the uh the memorial in New York City.

[10:28] I think it's the the Freedom Tower. Is

[10:30] that not

[10:31] >> That's what that building looks like.

[10:34] The new building they built on that site

[10:36] or

[10:38] >> I believe double check that.

[10:40] >> Yeah, that's that's the

[10:42] >> the Freedom Tower.

[10:44] >> Oh, okay.

[10:44] >> Y

[10:45] >> I find it

[10:49] not

[10:51] that's for you.

[10:52] >> I know, right?

[10:58] And I think I mean if I were to say what

[11:00] do I personally like I kind of like the

[11:01] stone engraving more than the metal but

[11:04] that's a personal thing and it it I

[11:07] wouldn't be object I wouldn't object to

[11:09] either concept. Um

[11:13] yeah I like again just sharing opinion I

[11:16] like both um this one and this one but I

[11:20] don't necessarily love the freedom

[11:21] tower. Uh, but you know, I like kind of

[11:23] the the general idea. Uh, I definitely

[11:27] like that plaque. Um,

[11:31] so I think but yeah, I definitely I I

[11:35] like this type of design, something

[11:36] modest, something that's not going to be

[11:39] um,

[11:42] yeah, we're keeping the pond the pond,

[11:44] but having something there that fits

[11:47] that seam of reflection without

[11:49] necessarily drawing too much attention

[11:50] to itself.

[12:07] on the call. We can get him in here.

[12:41] King

[13:00] I was also thinking for

[13:03] come up with language to actually put on

[13:05] there. East Hampton does have a poet

[13:07] laurate. Um could reach out to ask and

[13:12] see if they might be interested in

[13:14] putting something together. Um

[13:16] >> have to be short

[13:18] >> be very short.

[13:28] Who is it?

[13:29] >> I don't know their name. See if I can

[13:32] find it.

[13:39] Uh

[13:47] AI is to be believed is Carolyn

[13:51] Zikowski

[13:56] » a couple years ago. Is it like an

[13:58] ongoing

[13:59] >> Yeah, I'm trying because I thought it

[14:00] was somebody new. Um

[14:07] I can ask ask Alina uh tomorrow I fear.

[14:18] » Tom, are you with us? Can you hear us?

[14:20] >> I am.

[14:22] >> Thanks for sending that link. I

[14:23] appreciate it.

[14:26] >> Yeah. Carolyn Saikowski

[14:29] term is 2025 to 2027.

[14:32] >> Oh, okay.

[14:34] poet, fiction writer, essaist, and

[14:38] creative writing instructor.

[14:43] » You were uh talking about the uh

[14:49] for how we want to do the engraving. We

[14:51] uh nobody sent anything in for writing.

[14:54] We all they all skipped that. Um,

[14:57] >> I think maybe reaching out to uh our

[15:00] poet laurate for the city uh and seeing

[15:03] if they maybe would have some ideas to

[15:05] put on there. Um,

[15:08] but I think generally uh we like the

[15:12] ideas here. I like the stone. I like the

[15:15] metal engraving. Um, didn't necessarily

[15:18] love the the tower, but I think

[15:20] everything else about it kind of

[15:21] captures it. Um,

[15:24] and where uh, so I think these images

[15:28] came from. You probably put it in the

[15:29] email. Where did that these ones come

[15:31] from?

[15:31] >> Oh, I did that. I just kind of did that

[15:33] through chat. GPT. Cool.

[15:43] And so far with the dimensions that I

[15:45] was using for the stone,

[15:48] um,

[15:49] just the first quote that I got for the

[15:51] stone itself was 10 and a half thousand.

[15:54] >> Mhm.

[15:55] >> Oh, wow.

[15:56] >> Yeah.

[16:00] I imagine a plaque would be less

[16:02] expensive.

[16:03] >> Yeah. It was just a matter of

[16:05] constructing something for it to sit on.

[16:18] No, another thought would be to maybe

[16:21] have and see if the DPW can put like a

[16:24] general stone down there to mount a

[16:25] plaque on like a one of those large

[16:30] >> sort of

[16:32] non-polished stones.

[16:33] >> Ones that are always sticking out of the

[16:35] ground.

[16:36] >> Yeah.

[16:40] I can definitely ask Greg about

[16:41] that and then we can see what it would

[16:44] be with the

[16:46] plaque route. How much is a plaque? Do

[16:48] we get a quote on on that at all?

[16:51] >> No. Um

[16:54] the the person I spoke with, Chris

[16:56] Kofelt, um who's one of the local

[16:58] artists, he mentioned that he had has a

[17:01] bronze guy in that he works with out of

[17:03] Seattle.

[17:06] Um,

[17:08] so I was kind of hoping he was gonna he

[17:11] was able to come today, but

[17:16] All right. Um,

[17:19] yeah, we'll see quote a plaque and we

[17:22] can kind of go from there. And then I

[17:23] guess what's the uh what's the

[17:24] fundraising strategy? How uh how do we

[17:28] want to approach this? I mean, I think

[17:30] once we have what we're actually looking

[17:33] to

[17:34] put there is advertise that that's what

[17:37] we're putting put in there and then

[17:38] solicit solicit additional donations,

[17:43] you know, put out a letter or um you

[17:45] know, maybe even get it in the paper.

[17:48] >> So, what we're really supposed to come

[17:50] up with is a scope of work, right?

[17:54] Scope of work. We don't have to design

[17:56] the thing. But if we say we want this

[17:59] thing

[18:03] that's what we have to do, right?

[18:07] You want me to reach out and see

[18:11] um

[18:18] that

[18:20] >> do that.

[18:23] would be very good. Um,

[18:26] >> what's her last name?

[18:31] » It's got a lot of consonants. Is it

[18:33] Caroline or Caroline?

[18:34] >> Carolyn. C A R O L Y N.

[18:36] >> Okay, that is Caroline.

[18:38] >> Z A I K O W S K I.

[18:43] >> Okay, thank you.

[18:47] And you know her, Rebecca? I see her on

[18:50] her daily walk every day. So I have time

[18:53] my interception of her walk. I don't

[18:56] really know her though. Okay.

[19:00] » So I think Caroline's uh correct that we

[19:03] are just looking for the scope of work.

[19:05] But if we do the scope of work without

[19:08] any additional

[19:10] effort for making the design or anything

[19:13] like that, it's really hard to it's

[19:15] really hard to solicit any kind of funds

[19:17] to be able to cover. And especially

[19:18] since we've

[19:20] >> initially we we took a look at this

[19:22] project and said, "Oh, it's about

[19:24] $10,000. There was no funding source."

[19:27] Um, I think it's it's a matter of trying

[19:32] to,

[19:34] you know, adjust as we go to and that,

[19:37] you know, I'm just I'm just wondering

[19:40] what you guys think about that is is um

[19:44] we can come up with a scope of work,

[19:45] hand it in, and it it'll stall right

[19:48] there.

[19:50] >> No, I agree with you, Tom. Some visuals

[19:51] are are are a good idea,

[19:54] >> right?

[19:55] >> Who wants to read stuff? They want to

[19:56] look at stuff.

[19:59] >> Yeah.

[20:01] >> Um, yeah, I think we should have a quote

[20:05] for the stone, which we have, and then

[20:08] for the plaque as well. I'll I'll see uh

[20:11] if it's feasible for us to get a large

[20:14] folder moved over there to mount the

[20:16] plaque and get costs for that. So, we

[20:18] kind of have two fundraising goals that

[20:20] if we can hit 10,500, we can go with the

[20:24] stone. If not, we can go with the

[20:26] boulder plaque idea, assuming it's

[20:28] meaningfully cheaper.

[20:30] >> Where would the boulder come from?

[20:32] >> Uh, yeah.

[20:34] >> So, they just rocks everywhere.

[20:37] >> Yeah. We'd have to give them some sense

[20:39] size.

[20:40] >> Yeah.

[20:40] >> You know, how big the plaque is because

[20:42] you need to find something that's got a

[20:43] relatively flat area on it. Large

[20:45] enough.

[20:50] » Yeah.

[20:53] So that's

[20:56] >> So Tom, you can probably between now and

[20:58] the next meeting get some sense of what

[21:00] that cast plaque might run us.

[21:05] >> Yeah, I can I can do that.

[21:08] Um,

[21:10] I'm wondering, uh, I'm wondering if we

[21:13] could actually get it done through the

[21:17] I doubt it, but the National Cemetery

[21:20] Administration if they would take if

[21:22] they if we could put in for something

[21:24] like that.

[21:26] Um,

[21:27] I'll see if there's a way to possibly do

[21:29] that. They're the ones who put out all

[21:31] the veterans um, uh, bronze markers,

[21:34] grave markers. Oh,

[21:36] >> okay.

[21:38] So, I doubt they'd, you know, stray from

[21:40] what their actual job is doing that, but

[21:44] >> it's worth a shot.

[21:46] >> Yeah. And they may they may be able to

[21:48] make a recommendation about someone too,

[21:51] >> right?

[21:52] >> Cemetery what? Administration.

[21:55] >> Administration. Okay.

[21:58] >> Yeah. They're a a branch of the VA,

[22:02] >> basically.

[22:08] Thank you for these concepts.

[22:10] They were great.

[22:11] >> You must be a master.

[22:15] >> What's that?

[22:16] >> Must be a master with chat GPT.

[22:18] >> Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's a good uh

[22:22] it's a good cheater program.

[22:27] » It's actually very helpful for things

[22:29] like this. Very saves a lot of time.

[22:32] There you go.

[22:34] gets a lot of TDM out of the way.

[22:39] All right. Um,

[22:42] do we want to get into a uh what the

[22:47] fundraising strategy looks like or how

[22:50] do we feel about that?

[22:53] >> I think it's until we know what we're

[22:55] fundraising for, that's difficult. Yeah,

[22:59] I I think it would be good to have our

[23:01] the rest of our committee here to speak

[23:03] to that because I think that they

[23:04] they're so invested in a specific way.

[23:06] Yeah.

[23:06] >> But Tom, nice work on the on what you've

[23:10] already done.

[23:11] >> Yeah,

[23:11] >> for that amazing. That's amazing.

[23:17] » Appreciate it.

[23:19] >> My mailbox here, too.

[23:21] >> Excuse me.

[23:22] >> Mailbox here.

[23:26] I did you say I did you ask me if I have

[23:29] a mailbox here?

[23:30] >> Yeah.

[23:30] >> City hall.

[23:31] >> Oh, yes I do. Yeah.

[23:33] >> I brought a check, so I'll just leave it

[23:35] there.

[23:36] >> Oh, great.

[23:39] That's great. Thank you.

[23:42] >> Great.

[23:47] So, another option too. I mean, I could.

[23:51] The only thing with the polished stone

[23:53] is when you go too small, it starts

[23:55] losing its luster.

[23:57] >> Um,

[23:59] so I mean, I could get a quote for a

[24:01] smaller about half the size. I don't

[24:04] know if it's

[24:06] um something that

[24:09] we should be looking into.

[24:12] >> I kind of like the idea of a natural

[24:15] >> Yeah.

[24:16] >> like that. like a boulder because

[24:19] >> nothing polished about what happened,

[24:21] you know, like

[24:23] >> Yeah,

[24:25] >> raw elements, right?

[24:29] >> That's a good point.

[24:31] >> I like that. That gives a whole

[24:33] different vibe to

[24:35] >> Yeah. And depending upon what's

[24:36] available, that might drive our size,

[24:39] too.

[24:46] All right. Um, yeah, I'll talk to Greg

[24:48] tomorrow, see the feasibility of getting

[24:51] a stone from somewhere to there and that

[24:54] would be able to get a plaque on there

[24:57] and then figure out what the cost would

[25:00] be of a fixing a a plaque to a stone,

[25:04] having that made, and then we'll know

[25:05] kind of what our our fundraising targets

[25:07] are.

[25:10] I think after the override uh and we're

[25:14] through to the new budget year, it may

[25:16] be um

[25:19] more oxygen in the room for other other

[25:22] projects. So,

[25:24] uh we'll find out that

[25:27] >> sounds like a good plan.

[25:31] » Uh so, I'd make a motion to approve the

[25:34] minutes. Thank you.

[25:36] >> I second that motion. I

[25:44] » want to pick a meeting date

[25:45] >> then

[25:48] go with my calendar's not coming up

[25:50] here. I'm assuming first Monday

[25:53] >> which is I think the first Monday.

[25:56] >> Yep. And that's what I have on our

[25:57] agenda. July 6. That works for

[25:59] everybody.

[26:00] >> Yep.

[26:01] >> Yes.

[26:02] >> Cool. Uh as I said the start of this

[26:04] meeting uh if the override doesn't pass

[26:06] I will no longer be with the committee.

[26:08] So you folks will have to uh elect a new

[26:12] chair then uh

[26:16] otherwise

[26:17] >> isn't how we

[26:18] >> what's that?

[26:18] >> Let's hope we don't have to do that.

[26:20] >> Let's all hope the override goes

[26:22] through. So

[26:25] >> I'm sorry that must be stressing but

[26:27] yeah

[26:28] very stressful. Uh, would you reserve a

[26:31] room for that date?

[26:33] >> Yes, absolutely. Um,

[26:37] you go ahead. Do we like down here?

[26:40] >> Cozy of the cave.

[26:42] >> It's better than being

[26:43] >> kind of with us.

[26:46] >> It's being up behind the deis for our

[26:49] small committee. Yes.

[26:51] >> Uh, but yeah, I can go ahead. I'll uh

[26:53] book that and I will send out the

[26:55] invites for that tomorrow. Um,

[27:00] we'll go from there. Anything else we

[27:02] want to touch on before we adjourn

[27:09] and do I have a motion?

[27:12] >> I'll make a motion.

[27:15] >> Second.

[27:16] >> All in favor?

[27:18] >> This government meeting is brought to

[27:19] you by Eastworks and our local cable

[27:22] subscribers.

Easthampton 9/11 Tribute Committee 6/1/26

Transcript