The Battle for Ground Zero, Part 199

The first structural steel members for the Freedom Tower will be arriving in New York City over the weekend. It will be more than a year before the Tower rises above street level as the complicated task of building the sublevels while PATH service is largely undisturbed. Indeed, the PATH tracks run underneath the Freedom Tower, so it will be a delicate dance of coordination to ensure the construction proceeds smoothly.

Victims' loved ones and anyone else who want to leave their names on the structural steel are invited to sign the 30-ton girders on Sunday.

The Daily News thinks that the WTC Memorial Foundation came up with a suitable method for arranging the names of those murdered at Ground Zero. As Bloomberg noted, there is no correct way to honor those who were murdered. The Uniformed Firefighters Association applauded the decision to group the firefighters together by unit.

Ken Feinberg had suggested a victims compensation fund to deal with Ground Zero worker claims along the lines of the fund established to compensate victims of the actual attacks. Feinberg had administered the fund, which was established by Congress to provide monetary compensation for those killed or injured in the actual attacks. Mayor Bloomberg appears to be warming up to that idea for Ground Zero workers who can prove that their illnesses were caused by their service at Ground Zero. Hundreds of claims are pending against the city for those workers who are suffering from a wide range of ailments, including respiratory failure and cancers.

"As the former head of the WTC Victim Compensation Fund, Ken Feinberg has a unique perspective on 9/11-related issues, and any views he may have on those issues therefore deserve thoughtful consideration," said Corporation Counsel Michael Cordozo, Mayor Bloomberg's top legal adviser.

Lawyer Paul Napoli represents some 6,000 plaintiffs who claim they suffer from a variety of respiratory diseases, illnesses and cancers brought on by foul WTC air and dust.

Napoli said the proposal outlined by Feinberg could be a breakthrough to end the protracted legal fight and help victims.

"We endorse the concept of distributing money to our hero rescue workers for their injuries - in line with what happened with the Victim Compensation Fund. We endorse the concept of developing a plan for restitution without further litigation," Napoli said.

About $1 billion in federal funds are already available to help settle the current litigation, in which plaintiffs allege the city and its contractors did not protect them from breathing hazardous materials.

Meanwhile, the two movies that were released this year relating to the events of 9/11; World Trade Center and United 93 were snubbed for any nominations in the Golden Globes. Take that for what it's worth. I had not seen either movie; seeing the events of 9/11 in person and walking through the dust of the collapsed towers and smelling the smoke from the fires at Ground Zero for months afterwards is more than enough for me.

New York City's vacancy rates for hotel rooms has rebounded quite nicely from a post 9/11 slump. Hoteliers are rushing to build new space throughout the city, but prices continue to rise, showing strength in New York City as a travel destination. The fear is that the rising prices are going to force people to consider less costly destinations.

UPDATE:
The Washington Times notes the huge crush of construction that will grip Lower Manhattan as Ground Zero comes alive with rebuilding efforts.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein, mount sinai, respiratory ailment, wtc cough, bloomberg.