In 2003 plans for the park were moving forward at a rapid pace. It was supposed to be a place for meditation and reflection about human nature on a 10-acre parcel donated by Robert and Barbara Halcro at mile 5.2 Eagle River Road.

But since then the project has been scrapped.

In its place a new park idea has begun to germinate.

Halcro, who spearheaded the drive for Unity Park, said too many obstacles forced them to scrap the idea.

“The cost of building a road to access the site and other factors proved to be too much to overcome,” he said. “But we already had the major components being shipped north, so we had to develop a new strategy.”

The concept of creating a park in Anchorage to honor the history of the United States was born. The Anchorage park would include the Liberty Bell structure, a piece from the World Trade Center, metal from a ship sunk in Pearl Harbor and 13 other exhibits, according to Halcro.

“It’s all still in the preliminary planning stages,” Halcro said. “There is still a lot of work to be done to make this dream a reality.”

In the meantime, a replica of the Liberty Bell, cast by the same foundry in England that created the original has been secured. Halcro has the bell and more than 200,000 pounds of granite and steel sitting in five large storage containers on the property of his Sand Lake home.

Plans for Unity Park were first announced Sept. 11, 2002 - the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Initially plans called for the park to include a center for retreats, ball fields, a remembrance trail and a meeting hall.

Then Sen. Ted Stevens secured a piece of the remains of the World Trade Center to sit in the park.

Halcro, who owns Avis Car Rental in Anchorage, secured the pavilion that housed the Liberty Bell in front of Independence Hall. The building was deconstructed by several trade unions in Philadelphia and shipped to Alaska in 2006.

“I’m sad that we could not make Unity Park a reality,” Halcro said. “But we’re still working to make the new concept a part of the city’s landscape.”

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, January 29, 2009.