Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 18:43:45 -0500 (EST) From: Louis Epstein Subject: WTC Rebuilding #269:GG Chat Friday,Memorial Muddles I got a letter printed in the NY Daily News on Friday... http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/140705p-124814c.html addressing their editorial on one narrow issue,but making the general point that the officials are frequently determined to listen to only one side (whichever side Pataki takes) on issues. The Gotham Gazette Java-Chat room is coming to life again after six months! Short notice,as usual,but at 2:30 PM Friday,December 5 they are hosting Rick Bell of the American Institute of Architects and Fred Bernstein,the designer who was kicked out as a finalist on a technicality and is suing the officials. WE SHOULD MAKE SURE PLENTY OF REBUILDERS LOG ONTO THIS CHAT. Bell is the man who said that rebuilding the Towers was the only bad idea to come out of Imagine New York,and showed up at the environmental scope hearings with a team from New York New Visions calling for smaller office buildings. Bernstein I hope is going ahead with his lawsuit...he may not be able to get into details for legal reasons,but he should be encouraged to go ahead with the suit.His design was piers into the river the size of the Twins,potentially holding the "memorial quadrant" of the old Towers aside for future use not related to Libeskind's blasted pit. See http://www.fredbernstein.com/ for more on his proposal. Advance questions can be emailed to jbrustein@gothamgazette.com and I encourage sending good ones even if you can't make it to the chat! (Imagine New York has been encouraging people to comment on the official memorial finalist designs on their website,but they offer no opportunity to comment on the process as a whole rather than its products). A number of recent New York Post stories of interest: http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/12256.htm is one of a group of stories on dissension among firefighters' families caused by "liaisons" leaving their families for widows. http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/12357.htm tells of settlements reached with the Port Authority and Silverstein regarding the uses of insurance money...it appears that money for rebuilding is running low.We can hope new sources of financing will demand fewer,larger buildings. http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/12365.htm tells of complaints about the official memorial designs from New York New Visions...of course they have their own bias on site development,preferring nothing like the Towers, but all hostility to the official process holds options for doing better open.The officials are apparently inclined to listen to them,and make concessions to them,which may not be good for us...we may need to protest. http://nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/12282.htm is by the Op-Ed page editor of the Post,criticizing the official memorial finalists...his email address is included...perhaps we can persuade him to take some of our position papers. http://nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/12288.htm is another criticism of the official memorial finalists, by regular real estate columnist Steve Cuozzo. http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/12461.htm tells how the official memorial designs are subject to alteration, though the officials aren't about to depart from the wretched guidelines of course.THis refers to a recent speech by Rampe. Newsday has an article about this as well: http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nyc-wtc1203,0,2167380.story (note that the article is linked to a comment board...see if it works with your browser). http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/142171p-126010c.html is a story about the same Rampe speech as the other two, but its focus is his views on Liberty Bonds.Like Whitehead, he prefers that they be used downtown,but whether this can help scuttle the BankAmerica land grab and maybe push them back downtown is another matter. Downtown Express has a story on Community Board 1's dissatisfaction with the official memorial finalists: http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_32/cb1rules.html http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_32/nadlerandmaloney.html indicates the footprint-bedrock-study bill is unpopular in the area. However,the Congresspeople seem to be falling over each other to seem more sympathetic to the permanent crippling of the site.Nadler at any rate seems less of a pushover for the grief cult. It is noted in this article that Whitehead's next job will be heading a committee soliciting donations for building the memorial. I'd gladly take part in solicitations for building new Towers,but not this...millions for new Towers but not one cent for pits! We haven't scheduled our next rally yet...but next month Team Twin Towers is planning a New York event and we will keep you posted. Justin Berzon tells me he is relaunching his website very soon. See you on the 111th floor on 9-11-11! -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.