Landowner denies forcing move of temporary Flight 93 memorial

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July 12, 2008

BY KIRK SWAUGER The Tribune-Democrat Sat Jul 12, 2008, 11:25 PM EDT

SOMERSET — The owner of land occupied by the Flight 93 temporary memorial vehemently denies that his company is forcing the tribute to be moved.

Although Svonavec Inc. invoked a clause to end a license agreement with the National Park Service on Sept. 5, a company official said it never ordered the memorial off its property.

“You know that we have at no time requested or required that the temporary memorial be removed, nor have we excluded the public, the families or your department from our lands,” Mike Svonavec, the company’s secretary treasurer, wrote in a letter to the chief of the park service’s northeast region realty division.

By terminating the license agreement, the Svonavecs essentially forced the move, said Patrick White, a Florida lawyer and co-chairman of the

Flight 93 Task Force.

The park service, White said, will not occupy land without an agreement, evidenced by a similar contract it signed with Families of Flight 93 to move the memorial.

“I don’t believe (the Svonavecs’) statements are accurate,” said White, lead land negotiator for the Families of Flight 93. “There are letters in the park service’s files that invoke the 365-day termination of the license agreement to occupy the temporary memorial site.”

Joanne Hanley, Flight 93 superintendent for the National Park Service, agreed.

“We can’t operate or expend federal money on private land without an agreement,” she said.

Earlier this month, the park service said it is moving the temporary memorial after failing to reach a deal with the landowner.

By mid-August, all of the artifacts on or around the memorial’s chain-link fence, benches, flags, cross, angels, large stones and shelter will be moved across the road.

The park service has entered into a new agreement with Families of Flight 93, which purchased about 900 acres across Skyline Road from PBS Coals two months ago.

Last year, the park service and Svonavec Inc. clashed over security at the temporary memorial when Mike Svonavec erected a cash-donation box nearby to help defray the costs for guards.

In turn, the park service covered the box with a plastic bag and said Svonavec was in violation of the license agreement.

Rather than continuing to work under the agreement, attorney Patrick Svonavec said the company decided to give a year’s notice to end the contract.

“What we said was that the families and the public are always welcome on the property, as long as we have it,” Mike Svonavec said. “The park service can be there, but it just isn’t going to be under the terms of the written agreement.”

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