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Full News Story
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For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 5, 2004 |
STATE OF NEW YORK
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER
GEORGE E. PATAKI, GOVERNOR
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GOVERNOR: "ON JULY 4th 2004 , WE WILL BREAK GROUND
ON THE FREEDOM TOWER"
Governor Says Rebuilding Timeline on Track, Groundbreaking on Freedom Tower
Months Ahead of Schedule, Expands Timeline and Sets New Goals
Deutsche Bank Deconstruction to Begin in Fall; Fulton Street Station Design to
be Unveiled May 26th; Con Ed Substation to
Re-Open this Month; New Construction Command Framework to Ensure Coordination
on both State and City Levels; Creation of New Interim Space Near WTC Site for
Families
Governor George E. Pataki today announced major new milestones in the
aggressive timeline for revitalization of Lower Manhattan. The Governor
announced that the plans for the rebirth of the World Trade Center site will
move from "paper to steel" on July 4th 2004 -- when ground will be broken on
the Freedom Tower.
Speaking at an Association for a Better New York luncheon at the Ritz Carlton
in Battery Park City, the Governor also announced that plans for the Fulton
Street Transit Center will be unveiled later this month and that the Con Ed
substation in Seven World Trade Center will begin service by the end of the
month.
"On July 4th, as we celebrate the birth of our democracy, we also celebrate the
rebirth of our City," Governor Pataki said. "On July 4th, as we commemorate the
founding of our nation, we lay the foundation for our resurgence. On July 4th,
as fireworks burst in the sky - ephemeral reminders of our liberty - we will
begin to reclaim our skyline with a permanent symbol of our freedom. On July
4th, 2004 we will break ground on the Freedom Tower - I hope you will join me
that day - as together, with unstoppable resolve, we rise to reaffirm our
freedom."
Freedom Tower Groundbreaking July 4th; Deutsche Bank Deconstruction to Begin in
Fall
The official groundbreaking on the 1,776 ft. Freedom Tower office building will
be July 4, 2004--months ahead of schedule. As the Freedom Tower is built,
deconstruction will begin on 130 Liberty Street, the Deutsche Bank building.
The dismantling of the building will begin in the fall and is expected to be
completed by 2005 -- removing a blight on the downtown skyscape.
Timeline for Memorial Construction and Creation of New Interim Space Near WTC
Site for Families
The Governor also announced today that a full schematic design executed by
Michael Arad and Peter Walker with associate architect Max Bond will be
complete by the end of 2004. Construction drawings will be finished by 2005 and
construction on the memorial will begin in 2006.
The Governor called upon the LMDC to offer funding and assistance to family
groups for the creation of a space near the World Trade Center site to serve as
a welcoming center where family members, survivors, residents and visitors can
preserve their memories through audio recordings, writings, and archives.
"For family members, the memorial process itself has been a sometimes cathartic
and sometimes painful experience," the Governor said. "It has been filled with
honest differences of opinion and powerful streams of emotion. Even while
Arad's memorial is in development, we will offer family members a place to
remember their loved ones in peace - and a place to come together in unity."
Major Contribution to the World Trade Center Site Memorial Foundation
The Governor also announced that Major League Baseball, the Baseball Players
Association, and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund are jointly contributing the first
$1 million donation to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Center.
Fulton Transit Center Design Unveiling and Transportation Connections
The Governor announced that on May 26, 2004, at the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) Meeting, the design for the Fulton Transit Center will be
unveiled. The new hub will link 12 subway lines serving Manhattan, Brooklyn,
the Bronx and Queens. When the permanent PATH terminal and the Fulton Transit
Center are completed and connected through an underground concourse, Lower
Manhattan will become one of the most accessible business districts in the
world.
In addition, the Governor also provided an update on transportation projects
that are under way and on schedule.
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The Port Authority ferry services between Lower Manhattan and both LaGuardia
Airport and JFK International Airport are on schedule. Service to LaGuardia
Airport will begin this year and JFK Airport service will start in 2005.
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Construction on a new and expanded Battery Park City Ferry Terminal has begun.
This new terminal will replace the temporary terminal and is expected to open
for business in the Spring of 2006. The terminal, funded by the Port Authority,
will provide passengers with enhanced amenities.
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Construction on the southern portion of the West Street promenade will begin
this September, transforming this highway into a tree-lined promenade. The
first section, Washington Street to West Thames Street, will be complete by the
end of 2005.
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The South Ferry terminal is on track to open in 2007, allowing for convenient
transfers to the N and W lines and the Staten Island Ferry.
Con Ed Substation Re-opens this Month
The Con Ed substation in Seven World Trade Center will begin service by the end
of the month. The substation supplies electrical service to Lower Manhattan and
replaces equipment destroyed by the attacks on the World Trade Center.
New Construction Command Center Executive Orders to Ensure Coordination on both
State and City Levels
By the time construction commences on the site, a single framework will be in
place to coordinate all of the various construction projects taking place
downtown. The Construction Command Center will serve as a one-stop shop for
information and advisories on construction activities, traffic rerouting, and
other important topics.
"State and City agencies have already begun meeting to put the pieces in place
on this initiative and next month, Mayor Bloomberg and I will sign parallel
Executive Orders that will vest the Command Center with unprecedented authority
from both the State and the City -- enabling the Command Center to cut across
bureaucratic lines to coordinate continuously and seamlessly among the myriad
agencies at work," the Governor said.
An updated timeline of projects involved in the rebuilding and revitalization
of Lower Manhattan is available on the LMDC's website
www.renewnyc.org.
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