WEST WARWICK, R.I. - It is a place of extraordinary sorrow, a circle of 100 wooden crosses commemorating each person who perished in one of the worst fires in American history. For five years, loved ones and friends of those who died in the mad panic inside The Station nightclub that cold February night have tended a makeshift memorial on this barren lot where the club once stood. They have kept memories of the victims alive with poignant mementos including stuffed animals, baseball cards, and strings of beads.
But after the ravages of five New England winters, the crosses have turned a weathered gray, family photos have curled and faded, and balloons have gone flat in a dispiriting reminder of how fragile even the most heartfelt tribute can be.
Yesterday, however, at the fifth anniversary commemoration of the horrific fire, a nonprofit group unveiled ambitious plans for a permanent memorial park on the site, including a giant 100-string harp that plays by itself in the breeze, and plaques and statues commemorating the dead and injured from the fire as well as the emergency workers who tried to save them.
Though ownership of the land is still tied up in legal wrangling, leaders of The Station Fire Memorial Foundation said it was time to start the healing for thousands of people directly touched by the tragedy. The group has raised $100,000 and received a strong endorsement from Governor Donald L. Carcieri.
"In 50 years, it is very doubtful that I will be here. It is a hard truth that many of us will not be there. What then? What about the night of Feb. 20, 2003?" asked Thomas Viall, the state government website manager who led the design team the foundation selected to build the Station Fire Memorial Park.
In Viall's vision, developed with Rhode Island architect Stephen Greenleaf, visitors would enter the park by crossing a bridge over a man-made stream, then amble down paths around a central courtyard and past individual memorial sites where friends and family can continue to pay tribute to victims.
The bridge would include an aeolian harp that produces a gentle humming sound when the wind blows, a reminder, Viall said, of the healing power of music. The park would include a building for indoor events as well as statues and other markers that have not yet been designed.
"It's going to be beautiful," said Gina Gauvin, a single mother who lost a hand in the fire and yesterday helped read the names of those who died at the memorial service.
The announcement of the park plans provided a hopeful note for injured victims as well as victims' loved ones who have been caught in a legal process that has yet to provide compensation for their physical and emotional losses. Though four of the 93 companies and individuals sued in connection with the fire offered to pay $13.5 million to settle with the families in September, the money cannot be paid until a federal judge approves a system for dividing it. As a result, many disabled survivors are struggling to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, one of two people to receive jail time in connection with the fire - Daniel Biechele, manager for the band Great White, whose pyrotechnics started the fire - is scheduled to be paroled next month after serving less than half of his four-year sentence.
"People are struggling. It's pitiful," said Burton Andrews, a single tear coursing down his cheek as he placed candles at the foot of the cross of a family friend, "The other people are getting away with everything and the victims are going through murder."
But yesterday's memorial service, attended by more than 400 people, was titled "Our Journey of New Beginnings" and former state fire marshal Frank M. Sylvester reminded them that the victims did not suffer in vain because Rhode Island subsequently passed what are now the nation's toughest fire safety laws.
Thanks to people such as Gauvin, who lobbied for passage of the fire safety bill, Sylvester said, "we have made Rhode Island the safest state in the country."
Jessica Garvey, president of the memorial foundation and sister of fire victim Dina Ann DeMaio, said she's confident that Triton Realty Trust, owner of the Cowesett Avenue site where The Station once stood, will donate the land for the park once the legal issues are resolved. The company is one of the four that has offered $13.5 million to victims and their families. Garvey also said no one knows yet how much the memorial park will cost, but she pointed out that her foundation has begun fund-raising and hired a parttime executive director and will soon move into an office.
"They can't stop us now," said Garvey.
Though people at the service yesterday expressed admiration for the park's design, several agreed that they will miss the makeshift memorial, which for so long has been a place where they can feel close to those they've lost and where they do not feel forgotten. Even for people who did not lose a loved one in the fire, the collection of crosses helps them keep life in perspective.
Said retired schoolteacher Joyce Gilkenson, "I come here if I'm feeling sorry for myself."
Those interested in contributing to the memorial can learn more online at stationfirememorialfoundation.org.
Scott Allen can be reached at allen@globe.com.
