July 7th - July 11th, 2008

Governor and Mayor to Meet Monthly

July 8 – Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg had a closed door meeting yesterday along with several aides. Bloomberg said they agreed to hold monthly sit-downs to talk about Ground Zero, Moynihan Station and other projects that need city-state cooperation. He said, “This is a very healthy dialogue and it’s as good a working relationship that I’ve seen in the last 6 ½ years.” Bloomberg called the slow progress at the WTC site “very worrisome for everybody.”

Judge Denies Victims Families

July 8 – A federal judge dismissed a request from several 9/11 families to sift through tons of debris at the Fresh Kills landfill to search for human remains and have the debris moved to a proper resting place. Judge Alvin Hellerstein of Federal District Court in Manhattan praised the city for undertaking a “herculean job”, adding “the jurisdiction of a court is limited and not every wrong can be addressed through the judicial process.” The 10 month search of the debris at Fresh Kills ended on July 15, 2002.

DOB to Post Incidents at Work Sites

July 10 – The City Council approved a bill requiring the Department of Buildings to post the number of fatalities, injuries, accidents and violations at construction sites on their website. The bill goes into effect in four months and follows a string of deadly construction accidents.

Downtown Leased Space Increased

July 10 – The latest statistics are in for the Downtown commercial leasing market. According to The Real Deal, there was a 33.3 percent increase in leased commercial space from April to May. The average asking rent in Lower Manhattan was $49.70 a square foot in May compared to $45.80 a year ago.

Memorial to be Complete by 10th Anniversary

July 11- At a public meeting with Community Board 1, Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward announced that the 9-11 Memorial, but not the museum, will be in place in time to mark the 10^th anniversary.  “What we hoped for, dreamed of, will be completed,” Ward said. He said a memorial that includes a plaza, trees and most of the design elements will be open by September 11, 2011. The PA also announced it is closet to an agreement with the Greek Orthodox Church for an exchange of land needed to provide the congregation with a new home. That agreement would clear the way for the PA to finalize designs for the Vehicle Security Center.

Latest Pier 40 Proposal to Include Schools

July 11- The latest proposal for Pier 40 is out. According to The Downtown Express, it includes 3 public high schools to be located on the West Houston St. pier’s northern side.  There will also be 75,000 square of retail space on the ground floor and 50,000 square feet of event of event space on the pier’s southwest corner. The latest plan also calls for 2,400 parking spaces.

CB1 Calls for Plan Overhaul

July 11- Community Board 1 is calling on General Growth Properties to add a school to its plan to overhaul the South Street Seaport. Chairperson Julie Menin is quoted in The Downtown Express as saying the Board won’t support the plan unless it includes a school. “We are in a real school crisis downtown. It is absolutely imperative.” Menin also says the plan must include a larger community center and more open space. General Growth has offered a 3,000 square foot community center and a plaza the size of Bryant Park.

Another Victim Added

July 11- Seven years after the attack on the WTC, another victim has been added to the list. Sneha Anne Philip, an internist at St. Vincent’s Hospital on Staten Island, lived in Battery Park City. She was last seen the evening of September 10, shopping at Century 21. No remains of Philip were found. The City Medical Examiners office said a decision by the state Supreme Court appellate division determined Philip died at the WTC.