Station tribute plan set to be released

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - Nearly 10 years after the Station nightclub fire claimed the lives of 100 people, plans are about to be unveiled to build a permanent memorial to the victims.

A temporary memorial to the victims currently sits at the fire site.

Gina Russo, who survived the fire, said that site will be transformed into an everlasting tribute called "The Station Memorial Foundation park."

The permanent memorial design is scheduled to be released February 17th, at the site of the fire during a 10th anniversary remembrance ceremony.

Russo said, "One hundred angels will be honored individually. The land will be structured so everyone of them has their own place."

She also said "There will be vegetation that will take care of itself, we're not going to have any enclosed buildings on the property for safety sake."

The Station Memorial Foundation isn't releasing many details about the design, but officials said they plan to incorporate personalized, engraved bricks.

The bricks will be for sale on the foundation's website. All proceeds from the sales will be used to pay for the memorial.

Russo said, "Anyone who wants to come and help us build the memorial by buying bricks to just remember someone that they didn't even get to meet, but they read about over the years, please, this project means a lot to us."

Construction is slated to begin in the Spring. At that time all wooden crosses and personal items will be removed and buried in a time capsule under the site.

Also on the 10th anniversary, the foundation will be releasing a web series of YouTube videos of survivors and victims' loved ones telling their story of what happened that night.