Never mind Barack Obama's pledge to close Gitmo. Could this be the sign that the War on Terror is really over?
Boulders surrounding the Marion Municipal Building that were installed shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, to protect against attackers will now be used as landscaping Matter Park.
Dozens of three-foot boulders were loaded up Thursday by city parks and maintenance personnel. Instead of being used to barricade city hall, 301 S. Branson St., the rocks will now be used in a new garden planned for the center of the city's largest park.
[. . .]
Two days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., then-Marion mayor Bill Henry met with other city officials to determine how to make city grounds safer.
Original plans called for at least 120 boulders to be placed around city hall, but those plans were scaled back. Posts were also installed at the entrances of the building to prevent vehicles from striking it.
The move created public controversy, as some citizens questioned the costs and necessity of the project.
Controversy? Say it isn't so, not over a tiny little overreaction like that. Make fun of Marion officials if you want, but their City Hall has not been attacked a single time since 9/11, and how many other Indiana cities can say that, huh, huh, huh?
