The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 97

Costs continue to increase for the construction of the WTC Memorial, which is now topping $1 billion. Some families are worried that the safety of visitors is compromised because the memorial is below street level with limited access and egress.

Sen. Charles Schumer continues to comment on developments at Ground Zero saying that the Port Authority should be the anchor tenant for the Freedom Tower. Schumer is also demanding that all remaining Liberty Bonds be devoted exclusively to rebuilding at Ground Zero.

Silverstein has until March 14 to prove he's capable of finishing the project.

Bloomberg said he won't commit the city's half of the $3.3 billion in Liberty Bonds to any project until he's certain it's "going to work out."

He said yesterday he doesn't question Schumer's "dedication" but said, "We happen to disagree with some" of his proposals.

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said the agency hasn't decided which World Trade Center building to move into.

UPDATE:
Here's a link to the concerns over the memorial design. It's been known for quite some time that the design would be largely below street level, but with construction scheduled to start this year, these latest complaints are meant to scuttle the design. That would add to the delays and costs.

UPDATE:
The New York Sun has a good overview of the current issues raised by Schumer, Silverstein, and Bloomberg.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center.