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August 22, 2006
On July 6 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owner of the World Trade Center (WTC) site, assumed control over building the memorial and its museum. The WTC Memorial Foundation ceded control over construction, but will continue fundraising; it also will maintain power over the Memorial’s design and manage the project once it is complete.
The foundation was criticized when its chosen construction company, Bovis Lend Lease, said in May that the memorial’s estimated cost could double to almost $1 billion. The “Sciame Report,” which was approved by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in June, urged that the Port Authority take responsibility for the whole complex in order consolidate accountability.
Under the new deal, brokered by city and state authorities, the Port Authority will pay as much as $150 million of the Memorial’s related infrastructure, and an additional $45 for any cost overruns. The LMDC has said it will contribute $250 million through federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants. The Foundation has raised $131 million so far.
At the announcement, Governor George Pataki praised the “efficiencies” that would result from the transition, and pledged that it would expedite the building process. He pointed out that the Port—which, in addition to developing the Freedom Tower, is building the WTC Visitors Center, designed by Snøhetta; the Santiago Caltrava–designed World Trade Center transit hub, and Tower 5—built the temporary PATH station at the WTC site in “just 16 short months.” Construction is scheduled to begin September 11.
Citing the agency’s past reputation for bureaucracy, cost overruns, and value engineering, a few critics wondered whether the Port is up to shouldering another complicated project with high design values. The public response to the move has been largely positive, though. Jeremy Soffin, vice president for public affairs at the New York planning advocacy group Regional Plan Association, was pleased with the changeover: “It makes things a lot easier to have one agency in charge, and it gives them the ability to do what they do best, which is build.” Addressing others’ concerns, he added, “Forget about the past; I think the current leadership of the Port Authority has shown itself to be quite competent.”
Sam Lubell
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