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$49.5 million was handed to developer Larry Silverstein by the Port Authority because they failed to meet a work deadline. This wasn’t the first deadline they missed or the first penalty that they paid. Just how many years lead time does the Port Authority require to complete their work on time for the benefit of New Yorkers?▼
IMPORTANT NOTE: This piece was written today about an older New York City news headline. NYCo site delays prevented its publication before now. In an effort to entertain and educate this blog’s devoted viewers, 100’s of older headlines will be posted in chronological order until this blog is discussing current events again. Though some stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others. This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
The “threat color level” for the Port Authority appears to be rosy. Security patrols around midtown’s Port Authority Bus Terminal have been reduced to pre-9/11 levels; reportedly to save on excessive overtime costs. This is the busiest bus-port in the world with over 200,000 passengers a day yet three security booths, constructed after 9/11, are now unmanned 24/7. The PA was found liable in 6 deaths and 1,000 injuries in the 1993 WTC bombing. Critics say that New York’s commuter hub is far less safe than it should be. Port Authority spokespeople claim its safer now than ever before. Hopefully circumstances won’t lead to a court ruling against the PA once again.
Finally! It’s taken nearly seven years but the first steel column was set into place for the 9/11 WTC memorial. Workers finished laying the foundation for the National September 11th Memorial and Museum last month. The first object to be lowered into the Manhattan bedrock was a Vesey Street exit, also known as the “Survivors Stairway.” This flight of steps enabled hundreds to escape the World Trade Center attacks on that horrific morning. When completed in time for the tenth anniversary of September 11th, the memorial will include two large reflection pools with the victims names inscribed around them. A plaza with 400 trees will surround the pools. Leaving the footprints of the two towers intact was an inspired idea. They'll serve to remind the people in New York City for generations to come of just what we lost that tragic day. People. Buildings. Innocence.
A three-year study by fifty Federal investigators concluded that fire, not explosives or the building’s stored diesel fuel brought down 7 World Trade Center in New York City on the afternoon of September 11th, 2001. So says Shyam Sunder, lead investigator for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. According to his team, "a single column" gave way when supporting girders were loosened by the heat. This was the factor that caused the entire building to collapse. Sunder admits this has never happened before in a high-rise building. I doubt conspiracy theorists will be silenced by the team’s explanation. It will probably only add fuel to their fire and create even more explosive theories of another government cover-up.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein recently decided against the lawsuit raised by 9/11 families. The plaintiffs (WTC Families for a Proper Burial) want the city to move World Trade Center debris from the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island to a burial site. The judge said, “Not every wrong can be addressed through the judicial process. The grave harm suffered by the plaintiffs in this case is undeniable. But the jurisdiction of a court is limited.” Sad as it is to think that any human remains may have been overlooked during the exhaustive sifting process, the family’s request may be impractical now for financial and logistical reasons. However, couldn’t New York City make arrangements to set aside a proper burial area in the vicinity of Fresh Kills? The landfill won’t be a landfill forever.
In short, lack of leadership from top to bottom. In detail, consider these facts: The design competition was too long (over 17 months) in selecting a winner. – The winning design was not satisfactory from an architectural and security standpoint (replaced 28 months after being selected). – Memorial design plans have been highly disputed and overpriced despite forced cost-cutting. – The developer and the mayor’s feuding led to building delays until power was shifted from the developer to the Port Authority. – The proposed transit hub suffers from design flaws and higher than projected costs to complete. Engineers are working to save money, delaying the rest of the project as a result. – Insurance carriers delayed payments until May of 2007. – Though the WTC-site cleanup for remains was ended in May, 2002, additional remains were found later on. This justifiably slowed the rebuilding process so other remains might be located. In the long run, the buildings that finally replace the World Trade Center will be over-budget and overdue. This we can’t blame on Osama Bin Laden. That blame is ours. As New Yorkers, we’ve seen mismanagement of large building projects, time and again. Few stand up to complain. So we’ll wait, who knows how long. We’ll overpay, by hundreds of billions of dollars. But we won’t rise up as one to hold the guilty accountable. Maybe like the former troubled Wollman Rink project, we needed the “can do” attitude of a Donald Trump to manage this effort. Maybe we still do.
In 1974, Philippe Petit walked a cable stretched between the towers of the World Trade Center. He was arrested by the NYPD and sent for psychiatric tests. After all, what normal man would dare to amaze and excite people with a high-wire feat not performed with the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus inside Madison Square Garden? Though many doubted his sanity by the height of his stunt, he was judged to be normal. An older, but no less entertaining Philippe Petit walked a tightrope in Washington Park recently; this time, a mere five feet above the ground. Nevertheless, he still evoked memories of the WTC and a time when we New Yorkers were able to look skyward and witness beauty and miracle combined. Thanks for the memories, Phillipe.
It's known as the "Survivor's Staircase." Whether kept intact by miracle from up above, or an escape route that may have saved 100’s, perhaps 1,000’s from death on September 11th, nobody can say for sure. The 37-step staircase that survived the destruction of the Towers in Manhattan will now be permanently embedded at the main entrance to the future WTC Memorial. In a transient world such as ours, tangible reminders of things that need to be remembered can be of great importance. This staircase is that powerful kind of mental poke. We all must be reminded from time to time what happened on 9/11 ... at the World Trade Center, and at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field. Lord knows that New Yorkers and those who stand as our allies don't need to wake up to another morning like that. However, this staircase should serve as a visible reminder that we must all remain awake and on guard now. The world we knew nearly seven years ago is gone. The steps we take now must be deliberate. The steps we take now must be forward and upward as well.
The US Navy christened it’s newest amphibious transport dock ship; the USS New York. This vessel was forged with 24 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center (WTC). The ship’s motto is “Never Forget.” Those words should be important to New Yorkers and to those around the world who cherish democracy. Let’s all say a prayer for the captain and crew’s safety … and wish them, “good hunting!”
