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Windermere-area resident Jeff Cox wants local residents to have a “quiet place to pause and reflect on the tragedy that happened on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as to honor all those who lost their lives.”

For his Eagle Scout project, Cox, a 10th-grader at Crenshaw School, has designed a 9/11 memorial for Windermere’s Town Square. The location he selected is behind Town Hall and in a shady area on the north side of the library.

The central element in the design is a 650-pound piece of a steel beam from the World Trade Center. It has a slight twist with metal studs welded to the top flange and is 42 inches by 12 inches by 36 inches.

“Residents and visitors will be able to easily touch, hug, kiss or cry with the WTC steel,” Cox said in his proposal to the Windermere Town Council last week.

The council unanimously approved his design and the general location for the memorial. Cox is meeting with town staff this week to determine if the location might have to be realigned slightly to avoid interference with underground utilities or the septic tank drain field.

The overall cost of the project is estimated at $19,000. A structural cradle mounted on a granite base with a copper cap will support the steel. A commemorative plaque will be mounted on the base. The structure will be the central feature in a circular area with a concrete curb decorated with glazed tiles.

The plan includes a paver walkway and landscaping that incorporates the existing park benches.

Cox and his fellow Scouts are meeting this week at Studio 6 ceramics on Maguire Road to glaze and decorate the tiles. The victims of 9/11 were from 90 different countries, so the tile designs were selected to honor them.

Cox decided on the memorial concept after attending the Eagle Encampment summer program and his brother, an injured firefighter and an Eagle Scout, encouraged him to pursue it.

After learning that pieces of the WTC were available for this type of project, Cox discussed the concept with Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn.

With a letter of approval from the town, Cox was able to move forward with acquiring the steel.

He contacted the New York Port Authority and is waiting for the steel to be delivered. United Parcel Service is handling the shipping.

Cox told The West Orange Times this week a court magistrate still has to release the steel for shipment because officially it is part of a crime scene.

The monument will be dedicated on Feb. 20, a day Windermere sets aside to honor first responders.

Cox was in school when he heard about the events at the WTC.

“I was scared and nervous and told my mom, ‘World War III is starting,” he said.

“The memorial is for my kids and my kids’ kids who might not really know what happened.”

In other business, the town council: