Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- Chris Fontaine lost her only son in The Station nightclub fire. Her only other child, a daughter, suffered second- and third-degree burns to her hands and back in the horrific blaze. Her daughter's fiancée died inside the club, along with her son.

But Sunday, at the site where the wood-frame roadhouse once stood, Fontaine sounded a hopeful note as she addressed a crowd of more than 200 mourners who'd come to honor those who perished the night of Feb. 20, 2003. She said the time had come to usher in "a new chapter" -- plans for a beautiful memorial park that will be a permanent tribute to the 100 people killed by the fire and the 200-plus survivors who suffered injuries in the blaze.

On the first day after the seventh anniversary of the fire, Fontaine looked out on a crowd of people that, in the case of some families, spanned four generations, and acknowledged the raw grief on display -- couples clinging to one another, many weeping, others bowing their heads in prayer.

"It still seems like only yesterday because the pain is still fresh and raw, and at the same time, it's hard to remember the time before that fateful day, because we have lived and breathed it everyday for the past seven years and it has become part of who we are today," she said.
"Whoever said 'time heals all wounds' has never walked in our shoes."

"But," she continued, "today is a new chapter. With all of the legal issues finally coming to a close, we move closer to our purpose which is to build a permanent memorial."

Over the years, the families of those who died in the fire have erected makeshift crosses where the nightclub once stood to pay tribute to the victims. But the dirt lot has become strewn with rubble as well as mementos; many of the memorials have suffered wear and tear.

Eileen Dunn, of Attleboro, who lost her 37-year-old husband, Kevin in the fire just two weeks after their daughter's first birthday, was beside herself as she scoured the lot searching in vain for his marker which she said was nowhere to be found. She hadn't visited the site for awhile and didn't know that it was missing.

But now, with help from a group of volunteer architects and trade union workers, Fontaine announced, plans are culminating to build "a beautiful park-like setting that brings feelings of peace and serenity to all who visit this site."

She asked those in attendance to come together and attend a meeting at 6 p.m. March 4 at the Warwick Public Library so that the landscape architects and union members who've agreed to donate their services can receive input as to what they want included in the design.

Nothing will happen until the federal lawsuits brought by the victims are finally over and settlement checks are paid -- which the plaintiffs lawyers hope will happen by summer. But once that happens, the owner of the property where The Station once stood has promised to donate the land for the park. Then work on a design and construction can begin.

| More

Comments

Steve Micke said:

I think of the friends I lost that fateful night ofeten. I want their families to knowthat My love and prayers are with them always even though I cannot be there to comfort them in person.
Mark Fontaine, Pamela Gruttadauria and John Michael Longiaru Were all people I worked with and came to know well and whome I copnsidered friends. There were 4 others that I miss dearly and several who survived that have never been the same since. I love you all and I I think of you all often.

Link | February 21, 2010 9:04 PM
Report Abuse

---

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.