20/20 Vision For Ground Zero

New Yorkers know that rebuilding at the World Trade Center site has been painfully slow with many hurdles. In the past, the Port Authority has generally made it difficult for us to peer into Ground Zero as if to hide their disgrace. Suddenly, the Port Authority has changed its view and will change our view of this cherished land. A new, see-through mesh fence will be erected. Described as a “clean and informative wrapping,” it will enclose much of the area’s 16-acres. Imprinted directly onto this fencing will be artist renderings of all the site’s signature projects. Screen designs will be updated periodically to reflect building design modifications and progress. There’ll be an open viewing area created on Liberty Street enabling spectators to look straight down into the construction pit. The new PA barrier is a clever concept and welcome change. It should be remembered that no fence will ever be more touching or inspiring than those which sprung up throughout New York City in the days and weeks following 9/11. New Yorkers spontaneously created those fences where the world collectively grieved. Seven years after September 11th 2001, New Yorkers should see more than "pretty pictures" on a barrier. We should see floor after floor of magnificent towers rising towards the heavens. Let’s ensure that the PA manages this project more effectively now. Or, let’s guarantee that “the writing will be on the wall” for those who mismanage it again.

Growth At Ground Zero

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.

City Construction Costs Climbing

Building in the Big Apple is getting more and more expensive. Prices have risen 32% in just the past three years alone. Blame that on the costs and availability of materials, higher labor rates and the general expense of building in congested areas like New York. What’s more, an office building here will cost twice as much as in Chicago, three times as much as in Atlanta. Don’t expect costs to go down anytime within the next few years either. These higher building costs greatly affect not only office buildings and skyscrapers but large public projects too. Ground Zero, the PATH Transit Hub, the Javits Convention Center’s expansion and the MTA’s Fulton Street Transit Center have all been delayed or scaled down to save money. Mayor Bloomberg is looking to increase bid competition for public-works projects to lower costs. That may help a bit, but increased building in India and China, coupled with less available steel worldwide, may be a building not even our Superman-like mayor can vault.