By Joan Gralla
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City should get more controlover Ground Zero's long-delayed rebuilding by abolishing astate agency, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday, a daybefore the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001,attacks.
Bloomberg, who said the memorial to the nearly 3,000 peoplewho died in the attacks on the twin towers of the World TradeCentre must open by the 10th anniversary of the attacks, alsorecommended scaling back the site's transit hub.
Bloomberg, an independent, urged the state to dismantle theLower Manhattan Development Corp, which parcelled out billionsof dollars of federal rebuilding aid. The state agency's recordhas been marred by its oversight of the demolition of theDeutsche Bank building. Last summer, two firefighters diedthere in a blaze being probed by the New York districtattorney.
"The multiple layers of authority between the federal,state and city and the private sector just keeps getting in theway," Bloomberg told reporters at a ceremony where he signedone of the first steel beams for the memorial.
Bloomberg noted the site poses extraordinary challengesbecause the PATH trains that connect the city to New Jersey andthe New York City subways must keep running through it, whilesome work cannot be done until the nearby Deutsche Bankbuilding is torn down.
"Under no circumstances should we jeopardize the safety ofanybody that works there or produce something we're not proudof and not built to the highest standard," he said.
Gov. David Paterson, who assumed office in mid-March, isnot releasing his views in any detail as he waits for his leadofficial to finish new cost estimates and a new timetable thatare due September 30. On Tuesday, Paterson also said thememorial must open by the 10th anniversary, saying thatrestoring transportation was second in importance and thenbuilding new office towers.
World Trade Centre developer Larry Silverstein, who hadleased the twin tower complex just weeks before it wasdestroyed, is building three office towers on the site. ThePort Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the land,will put up the Freedom Tower, the 1,776-foot (541 meter)building meant to symbolize the city's resurgence.
The Port Authority has missed a few deadlines on the site'sredevelopment, and is currently paying Silverstein $300,000(171,000 pounds) a day because it failed to finish somepreparation work by July 1.
Meanwhile, the transit hub, whose cost soared over $2.5billion due to its complexity and the soaring price of steel,already has been greatly simplified. Designed by Spanisharchitect Santiago Calatrava, Its so-called butterfly wings nowwill be fixed instead of flapping open and shut.
Paterson responded noncommittally to Bloomberg's request toaxe the Lower Manhattan agency, saying the mayor was his "fullpartner."
"I share a sense of disappointment and frustration at theunacceptable pace of the Ground Zero rebuilding, which hasnever had a realistic timeline or budget -- an absolutenecessity for undertaking construction of this scale," Patersonsaid.
(Editing by Leslie Adler)
