OUR FORGIVING DAYS HAVE LONG PAST

Over the next 90 days while the new Executive Director of the Port Authority is putting together his report and recommending cost cutting changes we hope that he will not only look at the transit hub but at the entire plan including the Memorial.


He and the Governor only have to look at the similarities of excess between the Memorial and the Transit hub.


While the Transit hub has two superfluous wings reaching into the sky the Memorial has two giant voids reaching into the Ground.


The only logical reason for the voids seems to be that without them the Memorial would have to be built under the NYC codes as an indoor structure.


It appears that they couldn’t get the plan approved under the NYC codes as an indoor structure so instead of making the necessary changes they get it classified as an outdoor structure where requirements for capacity and location are less restrictive.


Can you imagine how one is going to feel as they travel down nearly three stories underground with the thunder of the crashing water reverberating from one side while the sounds of the passing trains rumble on the other side of the wall?


Can you guess what these sounds are going to remind people of?


The current design does not even follow what the mission statement for the Memorial.


But this whole process has never been about following rules.


The entire design selection process was a scam and the current design was forced upon us by members of the Pataki Administration.


The LMDC just continued the charade of an open and transparent process for the last seven years and you can see where that has gotten us.


Back in May 2006 Eliot Spitzer stated “Let me be very clear, the L.M.D.C. is an absolute failure,” when referring to the public authority responsible for the rebuilding.


“They violated their duty to the public and to those they’re supposed to be representing, and now they’re beginning to throw in the towel one by one, departing the scene with an abject failure behind them.”


In responding to Spitzer, Bloomberg said “I don’t know that anything will change with the new administration in Albany,”


He went on to state “We do have to, at some point here – and I think we’ve passed that point – as they say, fish or cut bait. It’s time to cut bait.”


Well Spitzer was right but unfortunately they are not the only ones that walked away.


He is gone, Pataki is gone and so are many of the usual suspects who made the decisions that have put us in the position we are today.


In regards to Bloomberg just lets say that I don’t think he fishes much as it has been over two years and it still doesn’t appear that he has cut bait.


Well we once again have an opportunity to possibly get this right.


Maybe our last opportunity.


We hope that the new Governor and the mayor will boldly go where his predecessors have not, and get things done FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.


A good first step would be to rethink the Memorial.


The second step would be to toss out the LMDC/PA play book in which rule one states “It is easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission”


Our forgiving days have long past.


And while they are at it we ask the LMDC to look up the definition of development


THE DEFINITION OF DEVELOPMENT


http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=26576