The owner of the land where the Station nightclub in Rhode Island burned to the ground in 2003, killing 100, including eight with Connecticut ties, has gifted the site to a non-profit group raising money for a proper memorial -- soothing the hearts of those who lost loved ones, including a Connecticut woman.
"I think it's great," said Lisbon resident Caroline Telgarsky, who lost her daughter Sarah Jane Telgarsky, in the tragic fire.
The Station Fire Memorial Foundation has announced that the land owner, Raymond Villanova, has donated the small West Warwick parcel to the group, which is run mostly by survivors of the fire. Members -- thrilled with the news that took nearly a decade to develop -- say they aim to raise $5 million to build a permanent memorial to the dead that can be maintained in perpetuity.
"It's incredibly important to me. It's the final piece of dealing with this fire and honoring those 100 angels who passed away," said foundation president Gina Russo, who lost her fiance in the inferno, but miraculously managed to escape the blaze herself with burns to 40 percent of her body.
The group's vice president, Victoria Eagan, who also survived the fire, but lost a friend in it, said, "This is a big milestone in helping the victims and the families and, frankly, the entire community to heal."
With the 10th anniversary of the fire fast approaching, the frustrated family member of one victim -- bouncer Tracy King -- recently announced his plans open a memorial off site. That prompted the father of the youngest fire fatality -- Nicholas O'Neill, 18 -- to call on the state to take the former nightclub property by eminent domain. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee had said he would consider the move.
But the foundation's president has been credited with prompting the recent turn of events. While speaking on the radio, Russo embraced property owner Raymond Villanova and his family. He happened to be listening. She recalls thanking him for allowing grieving families unfettered access to the site through the year -- and welcoming his family into the foundation's circle. Villanova apparently had a change of heart.
"Never in the last 9 1/2 years have I ever held them accountable for any of this," Russo, who suffered burns on 40 percent of her body and who lost her fiance in the blaze, told the Courant.
Neither Villanova nor an attorney for him could be reached.
Robert Reardon, a lawyer who represented the estates of three Connecticut victims -- Melvin Gerfin Jr., 46, of Groton; Samuel A. Micelli Jr., 37, of Lisbon; and Jude B. Henault, 37, of Lisbon -- said he was satisfied that Villanova decided to donate the land.
"I'm pleased that he finally saw the light," he said.
The band Great White's pyrotechnics started the blaze, which has been called one of the deadliest nightclub fires in American history. The flames spread quickly once flammable sound insulation foam was ignited in the walls and ceiling. The place, packed with patrons who were imbibing before the band took the stage around 11 p.m. Feb. 20, 2003, quickly filled with smoke. There was no sprinkler system although one was required by law. More than 350 people escaped -- at least 200 of them with injuries. But, in the end, 100, most of whom were trapped inside, perished.
Three people were convicted in the blaze: club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele, who lit the pyrotechnics. Numerous civil settlements, totaling more than $50 million, have been struck with the manufacturer of the soundproofing foam and others.
Telgarsky said her daughter and the other victims deserve a permanent memorial. She thanked Villanova for his generosity. But she said nothing will ever relieve her pain.
"My daughter was very precious to us," she said, "We still can't get over it. I don't think anyone gets over a thing like that."
The memorial will replace a makeshift one, with crosses and other mementos, that has stood for nearly 10 years. Telgarsky said she's gone there every year since the blaze, but tries to think good thoughts when she's there.
"I don't think of that place burning down and them all dying," she said, "I think of them dancing and having a good time."
At home, she has erected a living memorial for the dead. She says she planted 100 daffodils in her backyard. When they first blossomed, she remembers the sun was shining and the wind was blowing.
"The heads of the flowers looked like people dancing," she said.
Telgarsky would like the official memorial, which she plans on visiting, to be a simple one.
"I'd like to see a nice stone with everyone's name on it," she said.
The memorial is in its design stages. It will be built on the .66-acre property, at 211 Cowesett Ave., valued at $51,900, according to the West Warwick tax assessor's office.
Through the years, the foundation has raised a little more than $100,000 by grassroots fundraising, according to Eagan. Now that the foundation owns the land, the fundraising will kick up with a campaign that is set to be launched on http://www.kickstarter.com, a funding platform for creative projects, Eagan said.
Eagan -- a West Warwick resident who suffered first- and second-degree burns to her hands in the fire, has witnessed the strength and resilience of other survivors, and is now studying to be a burn nurse as a result of her experiences -- said ground should be broken at the site Feb. 20, 2013, the 10th anniversary of the fatal fire.
"We're very grateful," she said.
Copyright 2012 - The Hartford Courant
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
