WTC Memorial and Museum completion dates have yet to be determined

It has welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors since its September 2011 opening, but construction progress at the National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center remains slow during the past several months due to ongoing funding negotiations with the Port Authority. However, while thousands of visitors head to the open-air plaza daily, officials continue planning the exact stages of full completion for the Memorial, as well as its underground Museum and entrance pavilion.

Community Board 1 (CB1) heard the latest update this week, as presented by Joe Daniels, Memorial president and CEO. Daniels explained that his team is working with the future WTC Performing Arts Center, which recently welcomed Maggie Boepple as its boards senior adviser. Calling the WTC Memorial and Museum and the PAC "parallel cultural institutions," Daniels noted that the latters newly formed board has hosted two meetings, and is now setting up its governing structure and other development details.

Also at the meeting, CB1 and public members expressed concern about the future location of "Great Spherical Caryatid" -- also known as the sphere -- Fritz Koenigs 25-foot-tall bronze sculpture that stood at the foot of the twin towers for 30 years. The sphere was damaged on 9/11, but recovered in one piece and moved to a temporary memorial site in Battery Park. However, with construction beginning at Battery Park this summer, the sphere is expected to be relocated soon.

Advocates are asking rebuilding officials to consider returning the sphere to the WTC site, and they cite the support of nearly 10,000 signatures gathered thus far in an online petition. Daniels explained that the Memorial site would not be able to incorporate the sphere into its own spaces, and that his team also is waiting to hear about the spheres fate from the Port Authority.

Approximately 75 percent of the 6.5-acre Memorial site is now open daily to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Port Authority, which owns the WTC site, had projected that by September 11, 2012, the Museum would likely be at least partially open to the public. However, funding limitations slowed construction on the underground Museum after the Memorial plaza opened on September 11, 2011.

"The negotiations over resolving the impasse are proceeding very intensively and we feel very good about the progress thats been made to date," said Daniels. "We dont have a final resolution yet. Theres been a real commitment from the Port Authority, from the city and from the Memorial to get this impasse resolved -- its not quite there yet, but people are working hard to make sure it happens.

"As soon as a deal is reached and we can get the construction fully restarted and re-engaged, I think the next important step is to have a schedule for all the key elements including the finishing of the Memorial as well as the Museum," he said. "We will absolutely keep the community board posted with the details of a new schedule."

The Memorial team also continues to plan for educational programming at the future Museum, as well as for how the commemoration events on September 11, 2012 will go. New renderings of the interior spaces also have been added to the Memorial website, including the "We Remember" exhibit that will be located at the sites entry ramp.

Daniels noted that the advance-reservation system continues to work well for thousands of daily visitors (visit www.911memorial.org for details). And along with the city Department of Transportation, the Memorial team encourages tourists to visit via mass transit -- an effort that has helped minimize tour-bus traffic to the area.

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