January 2009

Ward was one of several people to give the New York State Assembly at the January 29th WTC redevelopment–status hearing. The public hearing was called by Speaker Sheldon Silver, and three Assembly Committees including Cities, chaired by James Brennan, the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, chaired by Richard Brodsky and the Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation chaired by Joan Millman. They were joined by Assembly members Deborah Glick and Brian Kavanaugh, who questioned the various agencies about their day-to-day responsibilities, timelines, and funding plans for the site.

Local High Schoolers Get Unique Construction Tour
Fifteen 11th graders (and one 10th grader) braved a 20-degree January day to get a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Lower Manhattan’s biggest construction projects. The students were chosen from the tops of their classes at the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture in Ozone Park, Queens, to take the January 14th tour and get a plain view of life building some the city’s tallest and most complex structures.

Steel Installation Begins for New BPC School
With foundation work now complete at 55 Battery Place, New York City School Construction Authority crews are beginning superstructure work through approximately July 2009. Steel deliveries to the site are now underway, and will continue for the next three months. The building is the site of the new eight-story PS/IS 276, which will serve students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade by the 2010 school year.

February 2009

4 World Trade Center a Rising Reality
The muddy floor of the east bathtub has become mostly concrete at the site of 4 World Trade Center (WTC). It is a tangible sign of progress, and a long-awaited one for leaseholder Silverstein Properties. The developer has eagerly prepared for this phase of physical construction, spending months planning, finishing design documents, drawing up contracts, and procuring materials.

March 2009

LMDC Small-Firm Assistance Tally Still Growing
Since spring 2008, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) has continued to distribute $5 million in grants to small businesses adversely affected by public construction downtown. The “Small Firm Assistance Program” was developed in cooperation with the city Department of Small Business Services and Economic Development Corporation.

Fulton Transit Center Foundation Work Ramps Up
While the main Fulton Street Transit Center building design remains tied to federal funding allocations, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) says the structure’s foundation work is well underway at the corner of Broadway and Fulton Street.

New South Ferry Subway Terminal Opens
The terminal that served its first riders in 1905 has now arrived in the 21st century. South Ferry, known to nearly 100,000 daily subway riders as the-station-for-which-you-must-be-in-the-first-five-cars, opened today, drawing together local elected leaders, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials, and community members for the long-awaited ribbon-cutting ceremony.

New Battery Park City Ferry Terminal Opens
The new, $50 million west-side ferry terminal is now serving commuters on the Hudson River. Opened on Wednesday, March 18th, the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, located outside just north of North Cove at the World Financial Center, will accommodate about 6,100 weekday passenger trips.

City Begins Fulton St Facade and Parks Projects
The five-year reconstruction of Fulton Street is on pace for a 2012 completion, according to city officials. Representatives from the city Department of Design and Construction and Economic Development Corporation told Community Board 1’s (CB1) Civic Center Committee in March that the first phase of work to renovate the heavily trafficked downtown corridor is now more than 60 percent complete.

As part of Phase I, crews have installed more than 3,900 linear feet of water main between Fulton and Gold Streets, with about 1,110 linear feet more to go, along with five new catch basins. Also, while the roadway between William and Dutch Streets is closed and excavated for utility work, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is installing a new mezzanine elevator for the Fulton Street Transit Center. Phase I is expected to conclude in early summer.

The second phase of work is underway since early February. It continues Fulton’s water-main installation -- along with new sewer mains, catch basins, and utility ducts -- westward to South Street and on the block between Broadway and Church Street.

April 2009

Work Begins on East River Waterfront Project
The city Economic Development Corporation’s East River Waterfront project is now underway, with plans to revitalize the downtown esplanade. The first segment of work is taking place between Wall Street and Maiden Lane, where piers 13 and 14 are being renovated. On the esplanade, utility and other infrastructure work is ramping up, along with park reconstruction later this year that includes new recreational areas, seating, lighting, plantings, and river access. The waterfront project will also tie into the Manhattan greenway, which is being rebuilt in Battery Park and continues north to East River Park.

City contractors began pier work in April 2009, and with commuter-bus parking now relocated to Chelsea, utility work along South Street kicked off in mid-May. This initial East River project segment continues through late 2010.

LMCCC and CUNY Team Up for New Construction Course
While the economy continues to fluctuate, there are a growing number of professionals looking to expand their construction-related skills to meet new demands. To help those men and women expand their skills, the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center’s (LMCCC) Opportunity Downtown program has partnered with the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) to create the new Construction Cost Estimator Training Program.

The cost-estimator program aims to encourage minority, female, and veteran participation in the downtown rebuilding effort, helping them upgrade their skills and increase their earning potential -- as well as helping to diversify the construction industry.

May 2009

Fiterman Hall Cleaning Concludes, Demo Begins
The long-awaited completion of Fiterman Hall’s abatement officially concluded last week, a little more than a year since it began. Crews from Tishman Construction, the contractor for building owners City University of New York (CUNY) and Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), followed stringent procedures to safely complete the decontamination. Work was monitored according to detailed guidelines by regulators from the Environmental Protection Agency, state Department of Labor, city Department of Buildings (DOB), and several other agencies, as well as the Fire Department.

With abatement done, this week crews turned their attention to safely deconstructing the 15-story building according to regulator-approved plans and pending final DOB permitting. If deconstruction stays on schedule, the building, located at 30 West Broadway, will be gone in less than six months, by approximately November 2009. Construction of the new, 14-story Fiterman Hall will begin immediately, from late 2009 through mid-2012.

Work Wraps Up at New Law School Building
As the finishing touches are made to the $200 million new New York Law School building at 185 West Broadway, contractor Pavarini McGovern also is completing the new sidewalks, curbs, and roadway on Leonard Street. Final restoration is expected to take place in the coming weeks. The five-story, 235,000-square-foot building’s official opening took place in May 2009, doubling the size of the school’s campus.

Imaginative New Park Docks at Burling Slip
The former boat slip and parking lot at Burling Slip yesterday began a year-long transformation into one of the city’s most innovative public playground. Located on John Street between South and Front Streets, the Burling Slip “Imagination Playground” was designed by architect David Rockwell as, reads the website, “a rich environment of diverse materials encouraging unstructured, child-directed ‘free play.’”

Ground was broken in a ceremony at Burling Slip on Thursday, May 7th, marking the beginning of what is should be a one-year construction phase.

The new playground is a joint venture between the city Parks and Recreation Department and the Rockwell Group. Its $4 million construction is funded both by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Rockwell Group, which established an endowment for ongoing Parks Department staffing at the playground.

LMCCC Shares New Construction-Logistics Report
Planning for the supply and demand of construction-related issues in Lower Manhattan is critical to maintaining momentum and a high quality of life downtown. To help coordinate over $20 billion of public and private works now underway south of Canal Street, the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center’s (LMCCC) has revised its periodic “Logistics Report.”

June 2009

New Vision for the Rector Street Bridge
The pedestrian crossing across West Street at Rector Street has been elevated since shortly after 9/11, when a pre-fabricated, temporary bridge was installed. Now that that bridge has been in place several years, Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) has proposed a permanent replacement, which was presented to Community Board 1 this week.

Like the existing bridge, the new span was designed by SHoP Architects. Designers employed an innovative “lenticular truss” for the new bridge to make it both structurally strong and lightweight. The strategic design allows the bridge to be constructed off site and then installed on piers across West Street in a matter of days. The entire process would take approximately one year.

Cavala Park Construction Complete
Nearly a year since work began, the new triangular park at the north end of Tribeca is now complete. Named Cavala Park for Canal, Varick, and Laight Streets, which form its borders, the new green space was built by the city Parks and Recreation Department for $2.3 million, with the help of Lower Manhattan Development Corporation funding. Contractor Atlas Construction began work there in spring 2008, transforming the former parking lot to a landscaped haven of trees, benches, and a new tiered central fountain.

July 2009

Memorial Construction on Fast Track at WTC
Work continues to progress at the WTC Site through 2009. A view of the National 9/11 Memorial, from any height around the World Trade Center (WTC), shows the multi-level structure taking shape faster than even its own construction managers expected.

Quentin Braithwaite, the Port Authority’s assistant director of WTC construction, called the Memorial’s progress “mind-boggling,” and compared photographs of the site from the past year -- when there was an open pit with a haul ramp in active use in late 2008, beside a current shot of structural steel and decking that outlines the future reflecting pools and plaza.

North of the Memorial, the east-west connector -- the pedestrian concourse linking to the Winter Garden -- has taken shape, with just a few remaining steel arch components left to install. The structure has allowed crews to form the decking that will create Fulton Street. And as a much-needed east-west passage, the connector is on the Port’s fast track for early completion, perhaps by late 2012.

August 2009

Construction Art Beautifies More Downtown Sites
The latest round of public art is headed to several new Lower Manhattan construction sites this month. Under the Alliance for Downtown New York’s art program Re:Construction, the new installations use color, style, and multimedia materials to recast construction sites as public-art venues.

Among the next pieces to go up, “Rainbow Conversation,” wraps Louise Nevelson Plaza in 10-foot-tall panels with multi-colored fabric “flutters.” The Alliance, arts consultant BravinLee programs and artist Rachel Hayes installed the fence wrap on August 11th, decorating the plaza work site where city Department of Design and Construction crews are renovating for the Liberty Street Reconstruction project.

Re:Construction is funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s Community Enhancement Fund. Building on the success of the pilot program launched in 2007, the new installations are modular and use “green” materials, and have drawn interest from international artists.

Jumbo Steel Columns Going Up at 1WTC
The first of 24 jumbo steel columns have been installed at 1 World Trade Center (Freedom Tower), forming the framework of the tower’s base perimeter. The columns weigh about 70 tons each, are 60 feet tall, and have a dedicated crane to lift them into place -- which itself is more than 10 stories tall. Manufactured in Luxembourg and fabricated in New Jersey and Quebec, the columns create the base from which the 1,776-foot tower will rise. Their installation is slated for completion this fall.

City Council Holds WTC Hearing
The major stakeholders rebuilding the World Trade Center (WTC) site met with City Council officials yesterday. Hosted by City Councilman Alan Gerson, the hearing was a chance for the Port Authority and developer Silverstein Properties Inc. (SPI) to report on their plans and progress at the site.

Chris Ward, the Port’s executive director, said that the National 9/11 Memorial is proceeding at a fast pace, and will partially open for the 10th anniversary of the attacks. However, after 2010 the Memorial may have limited or “controlled access, following the actual opening” so final construction can be completed.

Ward also reported that the agency has nearly completed its excavation and other site preparations for Towers 2 and 3, and will soon be ready to turn over the sites to SPI, ending its $300,000-per-day late penalties. Meanwhile, Janno Lieber, SPI’s WTC president, said his firm is making steady progress building Tower 4, but that the Port’s infrastructure work could delay its scheduled 2012 opening, and reiterated ongoing concern about financing possibilities. The Port and SPI have begun arbitration to settle the turnover details.

Memorial Preview Site Open
World Trade Center (WTC) visitors now have a place to glimpse the future National September 11 Memorial and Museum and contribute their own memories. The 9/11 Memorial Preview Site opened at 20 Vesey Street, just off Church Street. The site is open seven days a week, providing visitors with the latest images and construction progress details.

Septemer 2009

Mayor Releases Annual Report on 9/11 Health
Mayor Michael Bloomberg released the annual medical research review of potential health impacts of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The 2009 Annual Report on 9/11 Health includes a review of 48 recent studies analyzed by the city’s World Trade Center (WTC) Medical Working Group. The report is one of the recommendations made by the WTC Medical Working Group, a consortium of 9/11 health experts from science, medicine, and government, which gathered to produce the 2007 report Addressing the Health Impacts of 9/11. The group is co-chaired by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs and Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, MD, MPH. Read more »

October 2009

Downtown Alliance Envisions New Greenwich South
The Alliance for Downtown New York, Lower Manhattan’s Business Improvement District, released a new vision for the 23-block neighborhood south of the World Trade Center (WTC) site known as Greenwich South. The “visioning study” encapsulates multiple long- and short-term ideas for the area, as designed by a team of city architects, planners, and environmental engineers.

LMCCC Reports Decrease in Downtown Air Pollution
Air monitoring data from the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) shows that air quality in Lower Manhattan has improved over the past several years. The agency’s Environmental Compliance program has helped minimize construction-related air pollution south of Canal Street, despite the unprecedented amount of development taking place. Read more »

USS New York to Salute WTC Site from Hudson River
On Monday, November 2nd, the Navy’s new USS New York arrived in its namesake city, in preparation for her commissioning on November 7th. Built with 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center (WTC), the ship is scheduled to come to standstill at 8 a.m. on the Hudson River, across from the WTC near Battery Park City’s North Cove. The vessel will lower her flag and render a 21-gun salute in honor to those lost on September 11, 2001. Read more »

November 2009

R/W Subway Returns to Cortlandt Street
The Cortlandt Street R/W station was met with a welcome return to service today in Lower Manhattan. The first train to stop at the station since August 2005 drew downtown leaders to the northbound platform, joining the pre-Thanksgiving rush. Read more »