Park near LGA to be dedicated to 9/11 Hero

[emshighway]

On Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 13:00 Hours there will be a park dedication for Carlos R. Lillo FDNY EMS Paramedic who lost his life on 09/11/01. The park is located at the intersection of 76th Street and 21st Avenue in Astoria. Please come and join us in honoring his sacrifice on September 11th, 2001.

[cancidas]

damn! i'm in class until 1400... might just have to break out early to be there.

[NYCMedic]

Thanks for the info Highway, I am assuming the dedication is a public event?

[emshighway]

That's what I have been lead to believe. I am trying to be there but will be coming back from vacation so it will be tight.

[emshighway]

From carloslillo.com

Community Park dedicated in honor of Carlos Lillo
In October of 2004 the Community Board 1 approved the construction of a new community park to be dedicated in honor of Carlos Lillo, an Astoria emergency medical technician who was killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Assembyman Michael Gianaris secured more than $150,000 in state funds to acquire and develop the park at 76th Street and 21st Avenue. The property is currently used as a storage site for a construction company.


The event to dedicate the park is schedule for October 2, 2008.


The plan to build Carlos Lillo Park must still get approval from Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the Department of City Planning. The Parks Department must also negotiate with the property owner in order to acquire the land.

The plan to build a park in honor of Lillo has been two years in the making, according to Gianaris. The proposal has received the support of both local civic leaders and business owners in the neighborhood.

“Honoring the life of Carlos Lillo with this new park is a very fitting tribute,” Gianaris said. “He lived in this neighborhood and worked saving lives as a paramedic and gave his life for all New Yorkers.”

Gianaris called the storage site an “eyesore” for the community that has been there since he was growing up in Astoria. In fact, the PTA president for PS 2l, which is located across the street, has sent a letter supporting the park plan.

Lillo, 37, had worked for 16 years as a member of the FDNY-EMS Battalion 49 out of Mount Sinai Hospital in Astoria. He had reportedly entered the South Tower five minutes before it collapsed on September 11th, and his remains were found in March 2002.

He was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York City with his mother and siblings when he was 14 years old. He got his start in the field as a 17-year-old volunteer for the radiology department at the former Astoria Hospital, before transferring to that hospital’s ambulance division.

At the time of his death, Lillo was living in Babylon, Long Island with his wife, Cecilia. She was in attendance at the CB 1 meeting on Tuesday night, but was too emotional when asked to say a few words.

“It’s an honor and a tribute to my husband and I know he would be very proud,” Lillo said afterward. “He loved the outdoors and he loved children. This means a lot to me and to his family and the generations to come who will use it.”

She believes the tribute to Lillo also serves as recognition of the sacrifices that EMTs make on the job.

“He always said that thir work was as risky as the police and firemen and a lot of time they don’t get the recognition,” Lillo said.

CB 1 District Manager George Delis said the only questions about the park from the board’s standpoint was about its design.

“I knew Carlos Lillo many years ago and he was a lovely guy, very nice,” Delis said. “I’m glad this is getting done.”

This is the second tribute that Lillo’s old neighborhood has paid him. Last year, 30th Road, at the corner of Crescent Street, was renamed Carlos Lillo Way.

[NYCMedic]

Hope you make the dedication Highway, it would be nice to meet you. I just went thru refresher at St. John's and Frank has a pic of Himself with Gus and Carlos hanging in his office. I couldn't fathom losing a partner. i know it was hard enough going to funerals for colleagues and friends.

[emshighway]

Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Queens), Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and the family of Carlos Lillo gathered on October 2, 2008 to officially open Carlos Lillo Memorial Park in Astoria, Queens. Joining them at the ceremonial opening were representatives of the FDNY and EMS services, Queens elected officials, civic leaders, and children from nearby P.S. 2.

Carlos Lillo, a New York City paramedic from Astoria, died on September 11, 2001, while responding to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Assemblyman Gianaris obtained state funding for the acquisition and development of the park and worked tirelessly to see the park through from idea to completion.

"Carlos Lillo was a credit to our community through his hard work as a paramedic long before September 11, 2001," said Assemblyman Gianaris. "It is fitting to recognize the achievements and sacrifice of this local hero by building this park in his name."

"Carlos Lillo made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the City of New York on September 11 and we are proud to name this new park in his honor," said Commissioner Benepe. "I want to thank the Lillo family for joining us today as we commemorate one of Astoria's heroes. I'd also like to thank Mayor Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Marshall and Assembly Member Gianaris for generously funding this memorial."

Carlos Lillo Park, which will be open daily until 9 p.m., sits directly across from P.S. 2 at 76th Street and 21st Avenue, and is located on land that was a neighborhood eyesore for decades, having served as a graffiti-riddled construction storage area.

"This park will improve the environment, and enhance the quality of life in our community," added Gianaris. "The children at P.S. 2 and the entire neighborhood will benefit from a public green space that will serve as a tribute to a wonderful man."