Parts of Flight 93 memorial remain open during federal government shutdown

While not all features are accessible at the Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, visitors who want to honor the men and women who lost their lives Sept. 11, 2001, can still do so during the government shutdown.

“Weather permitting, the gates were left open, so you can still come in and visit the Wall of Names,” said Brooke Neal, director of programs for the Friends of Flight 93 organization. “But the buildings like the visitor center, are shut down.”

In addition to the buildings, restrooms are also closed, and functions performed by the National Park Service, like road maintenance, are suspended during the shutdown, which passed the 30-day mark this week.

Neal said individual members of the Friends group have gone to the national park to perform small chores like trash pickup, “but we don’t have a dedicated group of people out there.”

Outside of that, there is not much the Friends group can do during the federal government shutdown, “but our best efforts are in place to support the memorial as soon as the park reopens,” Neal said.

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, pvarine@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MurrysvilleStar.