Led by Charles Maikish, the Command Center will oversee all rebuilding projects in Lower Manhattan

Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg on February 14 appointed J. P. Morgan Chase executive Charles Maikish to head the Lower Manhattan Command Center, which will provide oversight and coordination of all private and public construction projects in Lower Manhattan.

Maikish, who has worked as an attorney, engineer, and senior executive, brings more than 30 years of experience in construction, real estate development, transportation development, and physical facilities maintenance and operations. Prior to his work at J.P. Morgan Chase, where he is executive vice president of global real estate business services, Maikish served as director of the World Trade Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In this role, he spearheaded the reconstruction of the World Trade Center Towers after the 1993 terrorist bombings and was responsible for the overall management of the World Trade Center and other Port Authority properties.

"We are extraordinarily fortunate that Charles Maikish has agreed to serve in this position," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "The rebuilding of Lower Manhattan will require unprecedented levels of cooperation and coordination among our partners, and it is essential that we have a talented and experienced leader at the helm."

In an effort to minimize the impact construction activity will have on Lower Manhattan's business and residential communities, the mayor and governor signed executive orders in November calling for the creation of a Lower Manhattan Command Center to oversee the extensive construction planned throughout the area and ensure that the various construction projects are consistent with the rebuilding timeline.

As executive director of the Command Center, Maikish will report directly to the governor and mayor and coordinate with all the government agencies and private contractors involved in construction work currently taking place or scheduled through 2010.

"Under his leadership, the Construction Command Center will oversee the rebuilding efforts in order to make sure that construction activity runs smoothly for both downtown businesses and residents," said Governor Pataki in a statement. "Thanks to a shared vision with Mayor Bloomberg and our partners in the private sector, the rebuilding will continue safely and cause minimal disruption in Lower Manhattan."

The Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center will insure a smooth, timely and coordinated process

Some of the things the Command Center will be responsible for include the following:

·        Establishing a master schedule of all Lower Manhattan construction projects,

·        Coordinating maintenance and protection of traffic,

·        Maintaining and improving access to residential and business areas,

·        Coordinating utilities, environmental compliance, and safety,

·        Ensuring fraud prevention through the creation of a fraud prevention hotline and coordination with each agency's Office of Inspector General, and

·        Coordinating contract requirements and protocols to ensure compliance with environmental performance commitments and mitigate the impact of construction.

The Command Center also will ensure that minority- and women-owned businesses and workers have access to opportunities in the rebuilding efforts and will serve as a central source of information for the local community by reaching out to residents, businesses, and the general public about critical issues.

"This project brings me back to a place where I spent most of my adult professional life, where I stood in the mud setting the foundation and steel for the World Trade Center, and where I served as an engineer and as a lawyer," Maikish said in a statement. "I am proud to take on this challenge and to be back in Lower Manhattan."

Maikish will transition into his new role in March and assume full-time responsibility in April. The Command Center will operate temporarily from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's offices at 1 Liberty Plaza.

Working with the Command Center will be high-level personnel from the New York City Department of Transportation, the New York City Department of Design and Construction, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York City Department of Sanitation, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department, the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York State Department of Transportation, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Silverstein Properties, Verizon and Con Edison, the Alliance for Downtown New York, Community Board 1, the Battery Park City Authority, and the Real Estate Board of New York.

To read the executive orders signed by the mayor and governor establishing a command center in Lower Manhattan, please use the following links:

• New York City Executive Order 
• New York State Executive Order