The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 49

Yesterday, the first beams were set into place for the 9/11 memorial.

A 24-foot, 7,700-pound steel column was laid in the northeast corner of the north tower's footprint, a major milestone in the long-delayed project to build the National September 11th Memorial & Museum.

"There is a lot of construction work ahead of us, but we have an opportunity to see the memorial open in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks," museum President Joseph Daniels said yesterday.

When the site is eventually completed, the eight-acre memorial will include 400 trees, two reflecting pools, and the names of all those murdered by the Islamic terrorists on 9/11.

Still, there are people who think the latest steelwork is little more than a stunt by the Memorial Fund and Port Authority to show that they're working on the site.

"It's a bit of a charade," said Rosaleen Tallon, who lost her firefighter brother, Sean Patrick Tallon. "It's not about the people. It's so they can write in the paper before the [upcoming] anniversary that it's being built. They're trying to save face. It's quite obvious nothing's being done down there."

"We never needed something so big and so pricey," Tallon said. "The memorial was there the day after it happened, with all the pictures and cards people put up. That was the memorial."

Charles Wolf, who lost his wife, Katherine, warned the city not to rush the construction in order to make the 10th anniversary.

No one is going to be completely happy with the final product at Ground Zero. There are so many hands and ideas thrown into the project that it's quite easy to find fault with some aspect.

Meanwhile, Staten Islanders are holding an annual blood drive ahead of the 9/11 anniversary.