Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 19:29:34 -0500 (EST) From: Louis Epstein Subject: WTC Rebuilding #399:Prepare for Hearing! Today I learned from Joy Goldberg that Ken Gardner had just told her of the death of Herbert Belton,the less visible partner in their joint design for new Towers.An architect who had worked on the original Twins,his contribution was better than the officials were prepared to listen to but the struggle to force their ears open must continue. Crain's New York Business recently ran an article on Silverstein's tight finances amid speculation on how much he can afford to build.My appeal for information on the December 8th hearing on Liberty Bonds being released to finance his construction of the Libescheme quickly drew a suggestion from John Dellaportas on who to call,and a prediction by Cecil Shepherd on where and when...and calling the number John gave me led to confirmation of Cecil's prediction. The hearing will be at 10 AM next Thursday, at 110 William Street (a building very near the Fulton Street subway station). We HAVE to be there offering OUR objections to the Libescheme enjoying public subsidy...the entrenched "civic community" pressure groups who think the plans should be made even WORSE will certainly be there. Of course,by scheduling it during working hours the hearing is made more easily dominated by professional advocates rather than people representing grassroots sentiment! A couple of bad signs in the November 23 Post: Pataki was making noises about being willing to let market forces reduce office space at the site...always remember that defiance of market forces is what made the Towers great,and eventually made them far more profitable than "prudent" development could have been. Former PA Executive Director George Marlin backed Bloomberg on the Post's Op-ed page,taking credit for the privatization process back in the 1990s that led to Silverstein's lease.(We need another Tobin,not another Marlin). I've recently learned that the email address sencodey@njleg.org works for Richard Codey,entering his last month as acting governor of New Jersey...not sure if the Port Authority is on his mind now but telling him what's important shouldn't hurt if done well. Cecil Shepherd alerted me to a NY Times story on efforts to preserve a Vesey Street stairway that's one of the few things left of the old WTC.I have yet to see the full text. A November 25 Post editorial was on Pataki and the WTC site, again I have not seen the text because I object to their registration requirement;on the 28th an editorial made an appropriate slap at the official memorial,saying that it might actually get built is a problem.(Pataki again pledged that it would today).Also in the November 28th post,the Deutsche Bank building's demolition was said to be set to start in February. A pro-official-memorial letter was in the Daily News on the 28th, http://nydailynews.com/11-28-2005/news/ideas_opinions/story/369535p-314432c.html while Regan McBannon harked back to Trump's harsh words for the official plans and termed the dog ban another "reason not to visit" the official memorial in a letter on the 29th: http://nydailynews.com/11-29-2005/news/ideas_opinions/story/369777p-314623c.html I've been remiss in not mentioning a joint press release issued by Team Twin Towers and Rebuild-the-Towers along with the WTCRM...Margaret Donovan of RtT was coordinating the responses and they are not all tallied yet.The text will be on the WTCRM website soon. Today Goldman Sachs broke ground on their new tower just northwest of the WTC site,and Pataki and Bloomberg were there for the photo op.Pataki mentioned how much LESS office space than before there was set to be Downtown,and we need to keep reminding people of how much MORE office space the Group of 35 report said that the city was going to need! Build taller and bigger than ever!! I hope I'll see some of you on the 8th. -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.