Results tagged “nygovernorpataki”

Plans for a World Trade Center memorial continue to crawl along, and WNBC has a story today about the personal donations that are funding the effort and the memorial itself. $300 million has been raised to build a set of reflecting pools and a museum at Ground Zero, much of that money coming from a fundraising drive over the last six months. The story includes a list of top donors, and we found it interesting that most of the individuals listed are New York-area politicians. Mayor Bloomberg donated $15 million. NJ Governor Jon Corzine donated $2 million. Governor Spitzer and his family chipped in $2 million as well. Donors in the under $100,000 category include former NY Governor Pataki and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Or at least that's what World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein promised yesterday, now that he and the Port Authority have agreed on terms that divvy up control of Ground Zero's various components. "I have instructed our construction team to mobilize into the site tomorrow so that we can begin construction of the Freedom Tower immediately," he told the media. The Port Authority says that the eastern section of the WTC site will be excavated by next year, in order for Silverstein to start building his towers (Towers 2, 3, and 4 in the plan). At this point, (Gothamist can barely remember what's supposed to be at Ground Zero, so we've been going back to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's website about the WTC site - but we're not sure if all the changes have been updated on it.)

The government powers that be when it comes to the World Trade Center site - NY Governor Pataki, NJ Governor Corzine and NYC Mayor Bloomberg - have worked out a plan that was presented to WTC developer Larry Silverstein in hopes of getting the Ground Zero rebuilding off the ground. The deal is for Silverstein to build Freedom Tower (but the Port Authority would control it) as well as giving him control of three additional buildings and a mall along Church Street, with an opportunity to buy the mall later, and limiting how much his developer's fee is - plus promising 1 million square feet of tenants. And somewhere in there, concessions from Silverstein would translate into $100 million for the WTC Memorial. If he doesn't agree to that, then he gets $50 million in cash, plus Tower 5, which is worth $250-300 million. The third option is for Silverstein to argue this out in court. Yes, Gothamist wishes there was a flow chart with clip cart of Silverstein, Pataki, et al. too.

like a good idea, as the NYPD's network is probably much bigger than the other smaller agencies. But there do need to be checks and balances, and other agencies might have their own areas of expertise. The best quote is from Jerome Hauer, who worked in emergency management under Rudy Giuliania: "Since the mayor has no understanding of public safety, he defers to Ray Kelly. And Ray Kelly's idea of public safety is, 'I run everything and I'm the only one that can do it.'" Snap!

The reopening of the PATH Train station at the World Trade Center was greeted by government officials and citizens alike with excitement and a sense of accomplishment with the completion of this 16 month station rehabilitation. The opening was bittersweet, as memories of Port Authority colleagues and other PATH train commuters lost during September 11 were evoked. One lower Manhattan resident told the Post, "They knocked us down, but they can't knock us out." And Christy Ferer, mayor's liaison to families of September 11 victims and whose husband, Neil Levin, executive director of the Port Authority was killed during the attacks told the Times, "He'd be very proud to see this organization kick into gear...No, let me take that back. I think he'd have expected no less."

The re-opening of the Path Train at the World Trade Center will be marked by NY Governor Pataki and NJ Governor McGreevey at 2PM tomorrow, with free rides until midnight. The governors will ride in a train that was the last to leave the WTC Path station on September 11. This station will accept Metrocards at turnstiles, except weekly and unlimited cards. Additionally, since this is station at Church Street is a temporary one, there is no heat or air conditioning, no concessions, and or advertising. A permanent station will open in 2006.

NY Governor Pataki says "fiscal nightmare," solutions like this, SUNY Board Calls for 40 Percent Tuition Increase, are offered. The real question is probably not whether it gets passed but how much the rate increase actually is.