PRINCETON, NJ — Officials in this city are consulting lawyers as they wrestle with a 9/11 memorial featuring a World Trade Center beam that includes a hole cut in the shape of a cross.

They’re worried that the cross could lead to lawsuits over the separation of church and state.

Deputy Fire Chief Roy James has pursued the memorial plan for three years, and he secured the 10-foot-long, 2-ton steel beam last year. James told The Times of Trenton the cross is a symbol of remembrance and has nothing to do with religion.

“It was never supposed to be a religious symbol. It was always supposed to be something that got people through. I’m Jewish, and it doesn’t make me think of Christianity,” he told the paper.

Councilwoman Heather Howard said the town must study the plan to determine whether the government is promoting one religion over another.