Results tagged “groundzero”

           

On this rainy day, survivors and relatives of victims of the September 11 attacks were able to descend to the construction site where the Twin Towers once stood. In the memorial ceremony at Zuccotti Park, relatives and volunteers read names of the 2,752 victims at the memorial ceremony while politicians, such as Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Bloomberg, former Mayor Giuliani, and former Governor Pataki, spoke (videos after the jump). NBC New York reports that one father, Vladimir Boyarsky, whose son, Gennady Boyarsky, died, said, "We miss you; life will never be the same without you. This is not the rain. This is the tears."

Tomorrow is the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. And, the Port Authority tells us, there has been "major progress" at the site of the future National September 11 Memorial & Museum—apparently relatives of victims will be able to walk on the street-level plaza for the first time. Other stats: About 80% of the Memorial's steel (equivalent of 6,500 tons) has been installed, 20% of the concrete has been poured, and the Last Column was installed.

The Port Authority says it will turn over the World Trade Center site to developer Larry Silverstein in the next few days. Which means that the Port Authority, which owns the site, is within its target handover period the agency mentioned last month—yet it's still over a year past the various deadlines set to turn the land over. These delays have resulted in tens of millions in penalties (they rack up at $300,000/day) the Port Authority must pay to Silverstein.

Get ready to rumble: State Senator Bill Perkins (D-Harlem) says that his Senate committee, the Committee on Corporations, will hold a public meeting discuss development—or, rather, the slow pace of development—at the World Trade Center site. He told NY1, "We are literally still at ground zero when it comes to the monument and development of that site. It's a site that has local, national and international importance and it's important that we try to play a role in moving it along."

Hey, guess what? Over a year after missing the July 1, 2008 deadline to turn over the World Trade Center site to developer Larry Silverstein, now the Port Authority says the site will be ready! The Daily News reports, "Agency brass say that within the next two months, they'll turn over 'construction-ready land' to the developer - and stop paying him $300,000-a-day in late fees they've paid for more than a year. The handover of the World Trade Center parcel will start the clock ticking on a contractual deal that requires Silverstein to construct the Church St. buildings within five years - or else."

Now that the State Senate stalemate isn't occupying his time, Governor Paterson is directing this energy towards another mess: Ground Zero! World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein and WTC owner the Port Authority have been squabbling over who will finance planned towers—Silverstein wants the PA to foot most of the bill while the PA wants Silverstein to raise the money. Paterson said yesterday that public financing was out: "I think it’s unfair to the taxpayers, because you could go to the private equity firms, and they don’t want to extend that kind of credit. So I don’t think that the taxpayers should run a greater risk than what makes good business sense for a number of private institutions." He also floated the idea of public-private partnerships. The Port Authority said, “We appreciate Governor Paterson’s leadership and agree with his principled position on protecting public resources. In the meantime, the Port Authority will continue to make daily and visible progress on the Memorial, One World Trade Center, the Transportation Hub and the other public infrastructure," while Silverstein said, "I appreciate the governor’s direct involvement. I look forward to continuing these discussions.”

Even though the Port Authority and World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein are locked into a battle over funding for future towers at Ground Zero, now there are new possibilities for the World Trade Center Performing Center. According to the Tribeca Trib, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation officials "said they were studying the feasibility of putting the center across the street from the site, at 130 Liberty Street, where the remains of the former Deutsche Bank building now stand. The move, to the LMDC-owned property known as Site 5, could mean that the performing arts center gets built years sooner." Presently, the WTC PAC is planned—with "conceptual work" by Frank Gehry—for in between the Freedom Tower and PATH transportation hub. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told the Daily News, "Clearly, it's a site that could be ready a lot sooner - and the cost would be a lot cheaper - than the current site," and even though money will be an issue, "there will be less funds to raise."

Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson said that 9/11 victims' families will be able to descend to the World Trade Center and pay their respects, even though the site is under construction. It was originally thought that last year would be the final year to allow visitations. This year, the AP reports, "families will be allowed into a newly built upper level of the memorial site"; the ramp to the "pit" was removed to make way for a foundation. Rosaleen Tallon, sister of firefighter Sean Tallon who perished in the North Tower, said, "We totally understand that there would be no way to go down ourselves. But it would be nice to do something to symbolically connect us to the site." The 2,750 victims' name will be read by volunteers and victims' relatives.

Surprise, surprise: In the weeks since the various players in the World Trade Center's development met, nothing has happened! Even though politicians, including Mayor Bloomberg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (in "a startling alliance"!), have criticized the Port Authority for slowing the progress of Ground Zero's future, since the PA refuses to pay for all the towers that developer Larry Silverstein wants, the Port Authority hasn't budged. Now Silverstein has given the Port Authority two weeks to come to an agreement, or else he'll take the whole thing to arbitration. Which could mean more delays.

The Post has an article looking at the lunchtime habits of some World Trade Center construction workers—specifically the liquid preferences the workers have: "Dozens of workers belly up to the bar at gin mills on Murray Street -- two blocks from the sacred soil of Ground Zero and America's most scrutinized construction project -- shortly before noon every day." At one bar, "three pals plus a fourth worker gulped three beers and two shots of whiskey each during the lunch hour, when the bar was packed with construction workers...openly discuss[ing] their drinking, their Ground Zero work -- and DWI arrests."

Local politicians gathered in Washington today to introduce the James Zagroda 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, legislation that would provide $12 million for the medical expenses of Ground Zero workers. Zagroda was an NYPD detective and 9/11 first responder who died of lung disease in 2006 at 34. Mayor Bloomberg joined both pairs of senators from NY and NJ and Zagroda's father Joseph in announcing the bill that will attempt to circumvent a missed a 2003 deadline missed by workers looking to receive assistance in illnesses stemming from being exposed to toxic dust and debris at the site of the 9/11 attacks.

      

It's official, Prince Harry's first official trip to the U.S. has officially begun! As you can see he's already visited Ground Zero, talked with firefighters, and has christened the British Memorial Garden at Hanover Square (which actually isn't all that amazing). The AP noted that when he emerged "into the sunlight where the towers once stood. He glanced upwards, seemingly taking in the enormity of the structures felled in the attack, and said simply, 'Wow'." However, while looking at the rebuilding plans for the WTC site, he asked, "Big question—when is this supposed to be finished?" Patience, dear prince.

Last week, the players with stakes in Ground Zero development—the Port Authority, developer Larry Silverstein, Mayor Bloomberg, NY Governor Paterson, NJ Governor Corzine, Assembly Speaker Silver among them—met at Gracie Mansion to discuss the stalemate (and bickering) over the World Trade Center rebuilding progress. What they agreed on was, the Post reported, "to order their aides to come up with an agreement by the next summit on June 11." Um, great. The NY Times had an editorial yesterday about the stalemate, declaring that instead of helping Silverstein build (aka fund) two towers, "The authority should instead be focusing on what it has already committed to: building the substructure for the 16-acre site, the Calatrava PATH terminal and the tallest tower. The authority’s designers have also come up with an interim proposal to build multistory bases for some of Mr. Silverstein’s towers. Those could house retail shops until the market needs more skyscrapers."

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that the Port Authority may consider to scrap three of the planned towers—Towers 2, 3 and 5— at the World Trade Center site, due to costs, delays and the economic downturn. Now the Post throws out the idea that the PA may actually opt for building luxury hotel and apartments at Tower 5, which seems "a stronger bet than holding out for a commercial tenant, now that JP Morgan is out of the picture." And Globe St. suggests that the PA only wants to delay Tower 2 and 3 construction until the real estate market is better (and needs millions more square feet). The PA and WTC developer Larry Silverstein have been at odds over Ground Zero plans, with the developer asking for more financial help and the PA unwilling (thus far) to pitch in any more. Silverstein Properties president of WTC properties Janno Lieber said, "The Silverstein team has not wavered on rebuilding the World Trade Center, and we never will." [Via Curbed]

Last Friday, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "Seven years and eight months after the attacks, I am fed up with the stalling and exasperated with the current state of the World Trade Center project," outlining that two of the towers must be completed by 2014 and urging developer Larry Silverstein to take on more of the risk, with help from the Port Authority. Now, the Daily News reports that the Port Authority is proposing a drastic change to the plan that would reduce the square footage from 10 million to 5 million:

The sources say the agency's new vision for the site calls for scrapping one tower that would have been taller than the Empire State Building and nixing two others that would have dwarfed the nearby Woolworth Building.

Continue reading "Three WTC Towers May Be Scrapped From Ground Zero"

      

A little Ground Zero drama: World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein has reportedly asked the Port Authority for financial assistance. According to the Wall Street Journal, Silverstein wants money for "at least two of the three towers" while the Port Autority, which might be willing to "finance at least one...would require concessions from Mr. Silverstein, including possibly giving up some of upside profits should the towers succeed in the long term."

      

At a NY State Assembly hearing yesterday, Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward testified, "We are on track to meet the commitment we made in October to open the Memorial Plaza by the 10th Anniversary of September 11th."

As if any government agency needs to go deeper into debt these days, it has been announced that despite protest, the Port Authority will in fact have to pay Ground Zero developer Larry Silverstein (pictured) a total of $64 million. The money is being paid for fines stemming from missing deadlines in preparing the site for its turnover. The authority was fighting the fines and claiming that they had prepared what they were supposed to by October 5, but arbitrators agreed with the developer who said that the remaining wall at the site known as "The Berlin Wall of Ground Zero" impeded building and warranted the fines. The daily fines will continue into the new year, when the Port Authority has already announced it will miss its next December 31 deadline. There has been no estimated date given for completion of the work. The Daily News points out that the $64 million owed by the PA is equal to 7.9 million trips across the George Washington Bridge.

A Manhattan judge took a significant step yesterday toward bringing to trial the first round of lawsuits stemming primarily from workers who became sick from their involvement with Ground Zero. Right now almost 10,000 of those cases are on hold as the city awaits for medical records to be turned over. Those records are not required to be completed until 2011.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants police to crack down on the dozens of vendors at Ground Zero. NY1 reports that in spite of a "2004 state law prohibit[ing] vendors from working the area bordered by Broadway on the east, West Street on the west, Liberty Street on the south side, and Vesey Street on the north," vendors still set up and sell various wares, including many 9/11-related items (like "Tragedy," the photo pamphlet memento!). Stringer said, "We don't think this should be a three-ring circus where profiteers are cashing in on one of the worst tragedy to befall the United States of America," but one vendor reasoned, "When tourists come, they provide us with their money that we use to distribute into this economy."

The Port Authority released its letter and report to Governor David Paterson about progress at the World Trade Center site. The NY-NJ agency was given control of the site two years ago, but building at the site has been stymied by delays given the complexity and cost of the project.

     

Yesterday, before heading to Pennsylvania for more campaigning, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin made an "unscheduled" visit to Ground Zero. She visited the Tribute WTC Visitor Center as well as Ladder Co. 10's firehouse, which has a bronze mural honoring the 343 firefighters who died on September 11.

Responding to pressure from Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg, the Port Authority is promising to finish the 9/11 memorial in time for the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack that felled the twin towers. In June, Paterson said the redevelopment of the 16-acre site was over budget and behind schedule, and he ordered the Port Authority to hammer out a plan to get at least part of the job done by 2011. Port Authority officials had called that an impossibility, but sources tell the Times that Port Authority director Christopher Ward will release a report on Thursday outlining a way to finish the $610 million memorial in two years and eleven months. (See the renderings.)

        

The spectacle of Sarah in the City continues! Alaska governor Sarah Palin spent her second full day in New York meeting more foreign leaders: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashivli, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who said she was "gorgeous" and that he knew "why the whole of America is crazy about you."

He said that the process was "more of a mess than you know" with more details expected in a forthcoming report. He reiterated the impracticality of shutting down the LMDC, but said that he would like to speak to Mayor Bloomberg directly about the mayor's suggestion that it be disbanded. Paterson said that one of the things he could bring to the rebuilding process was "willingness, perhaps, to make a mistake" and that his biggest surprise since becoming governor was "how little people who have authority want to exercise it.”

The NY Times reports on evidence of the Ice Age that has emerged at Ground Zero, thanks for the huge excavation project there. It sounds stunning--"plummeting holes, steep cliffsides and soft billows of steel-gray bedrock, punctuated by thousands of beach-smooth cobblestones in a muted rainbow of reds and purples and greens." The area has been called the "Grand Canyon of Lower Manhattan," thanks to a glacier from 20,000 years ago. A geologist for Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers said, “As the ice passed over New Jersey, it picked up local rocks such as red shale and sandstone and gray basalt from the Palisades. As ice melted from the advancing glacier, raging streams of water flowed in front of it. The strong currents picked up the sand, gravel and boulders and carried them downstream across the World Trade Center site." Sadly, the area will have to be built on-- let's hope for an exhibit of photographs!

      

John McCain and Barack Obama made their first official appearance together as their parties' presidential nominees today during a visit to the World Trade Center site. McCain's wife Cindy and Mayor Bloomberg also accompanied the candidates down the ramp to the "pit." (Michelle Obama is in Chicago with the daughters.)

This week, The New Yorker will have a feature on the James Zadroga's cause of death. The death of Zadroga, an NYPD detective who spent hours working rescue-and-recovery at the WTC site after 9/11, was debated in public--his family and medical experts claimed his death was due to exposure to Ground Zero toxins while the city's medical examiner disputed that, "It is our unequivocal opinion, with certainty beyond doubt, that the foreign material in your son's lungs did not get there as the result of inhaling dust at the World Trade Center or elsewhere."