The first 30-ton structural steel beams brought to Ground Zero over the weekend is being hoisted into place today. You can bet that Pataki needed this to make good on his promise to get construction underway. If only he had a plan for Fiterman Hall, which is still shrouded in uncertainty. And did I mention that Spitzer may review the whole Freedom Tower project despite the steel coming into the site?
There's also a fear that the $40 million WTC fund for monitoring Ground Zero workers may be about to run out. A long term spending program was proposed by Sen. Hillary Clinton:
In October, the Bush administration released $52 million in federal funding to treat first responders through the Fire Department and a consortium of six hospitals, including The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Stony Brook University Medical Center. Since then, the demand for treatment has been so high that officials estimate they may have to start notifying clients by springtime to start seeking other treatment.
The federal money is currently limited to first responders. Residents, office workers and others who may suffer from the effects of exposure to Ground Zero do not qualify.
Last month, hundreds of 9/11 first responders turned out at a Manhattan forum to learn what treatment is available to them. The forum was organized by the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program based at Mount Sinai, which released a study in October showing that 60 percent of 9/11 first responders still suffer health effects, including reduced breathing capacity, pulmonary fibrosis and asbestosis.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said any lapse in funding means that 9/11 health sufferers "will once again be left out in the cold."
Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, co-chair of Bloomberg's panel on 9/11 health issues, also attended the meeting.
"These are necessary programs to help those who answered the call when the city needed them the most, and we expect that the federal government will fulfill its obligation and continue this funding," he said later.
When the administration released the $52 million in the fall, Congressional officials said, the figure wasn't based on an estimate of the actual need. Clinton has submitted legislation that carries a $1.9 billion price tag for long-term treatment.
Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein, mount sinai, respiratory ailment, wtc cough, bloomberg.
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