Fundraising for World Trade Center Memorial Stopped

Another signal that the World Trade Center memorial is mired in a big mess: The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, which has been raising money for the memorial, is stopping their fundraising efforts as they try to under the cost of the project. Last week's revelation that construction firm Bovis estimated the cost to be near $1 billion, and everyone was all sorts of upset. The foundation said, "It's only fair to donors to be able to expressly say how their money will be used and how much the project will cost," and said the foundation would continue once "the foundation, the city, the state, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were all 'on the same page,'" per the NY Times. Well, the city, NY state and NJ state want the foundation to continue their job, with Governor Pataki's office saying, "The mayor and the governors are already on the same page. The memorial foundation should focus on their most important task - fundraising."

Mayor Bloomberg isn't happy with efforts so far either, but said the memorial board should be answering questions as to whether the foundation's president, former Department of Consumer Affairs commissioner Gretchen Dykstra, should be fired. So the foundation passed a "resolution of support" to show they did in fact support her. There may be support, but if stuff isn't put on track in the next few months, we imagine she'll be on her way out.