Local company steps up to restore Plymouth 9/11 monument following vandalisms
Noreen Melchert said she was disheartened by the damage done, but is proud to be part of the repair.
Mark Melchert redrawing details on the policeman statue.
After recent acts of vandalism left historical Plymouth sites damaged, some stepped forward to put things back the way they were.
One local, Noreen Melchert, said she was “disgusted” after hearing the 9/11 memorial had been targeted, leaving a policeman statue in pieces on the ground.
“It was just really disheartening that somebody would vandalize something like that,” she said. “Stuff like that, to me, should be sacred.”
Melchert and her husband have run a masonry company since 1996; having worked on church restorations and other major buildings, they decided to tackle an extra project.
“When we saw the vandalism had occurred on the morning news, we reached out right away, because we have repaired many statues and knew it was a way we could help,” she said.
With their company, she said they already had the extra materials on hand.
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After patching up the policeman, repainting him, and fastening his head back onto his body, Melchert said he was guarding the 9/11 memorial again by Monday.
While the fireman statue reportedly saw no impact from the vandalism, she said he needed some major touch-ups.
They stripped his paint off, patched his axe and boots — which had worn from weather — and then repainted the piece.
The fireman and policeman statues during the paint-stripping process.
Thinking ahead, Melchert said they also sealed the paint with a clear UV protectant. They plan to have the fireman back at his post by Monday, March 9.
Each statue took about 16 hours to repair.
”We work full time, so we’ve just been doing them at night,” she said.
And as many hours as it took, Melchert said it was important to her and her husband that they did what they could.
“Our time like everyone’s is valuable, but no comparison to the risk and sacrifices that the police, firemen, and military undergo on any given day, which is unfortunately often taken for granted,” she said.
Places like Plymouth’s 9/11 monument “should be remembered and cherished,” she added. “It’s a remembrance of sacrifices that have been made.”
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