November 3rd - November 9th, 2006

Limit on Citys Liability for 9/11 Damages

Saturday, November 4^th: U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has proposed putting a $1 billion cap on payouts by the city to emergency workers for damages related to 9/11, the Associated Press reported. More than 6,200 lawsuits have been brought against the city by emergency workers to date, and Hellerstein predicts that between 10,000 and 11,000 workers in total will file lawsuits, the AP continued.

According to the AP, Hellerstein does not feel that the 150 private contractors who worked on the site are liable, stating that the city was ultimately responsible for working conditions. The judge indicated that he may make his decision a formal finding and appoint a special master so that injured workers can recover money faster for healthcare needs, the AP added.

Downtown for Dinner Returns November 13th

Sunday, November 5^th: Beginning Monday, November 13^th, and continuing through Sunday, November 19^th, the Alliance for Downtown New York will hold its 5^th Annual "Downtown for Dinner" restaurant promotion week, designed to let patrons celebrate the diverse dining opportunities in Lower Manhattan without breaking the bank. The cost for a three-course prix fixe meal is $30. Reservations are highly recommended after the enormous success of last year's event, which filled participating restaurants to capacity. For more on this story, please click here.

New Yorkers Back Continued WTC Construction

Monday, November 6^th: According to a Newsday/NY1 poll, a majority of New Yorkers believe that construction should continue at Ground Zero despite the recent discovery of human remains, Newsday reported. Of the 1,502 people polled, 55 percent want construction to continue alongside the predicted one-year search for remains, Newsday continued. The poll also found that 57 percent of respondents felt that enough was done during the initial recovery effort, the paper added.

According to Stu Loeser, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's spokesman, "The mayor has the highest praise for the heroic original recovery effort led by the FDNY and has committed that the city will keep working until the job is done."

New Green Space on Governors Island

Monday, November 6^th: Plans to build a mega-park on Governors Island are underway, and the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) has distributed a "request for qualifications," the New York Post reported. The park is planned for the island's southwestern end and will total between 24 and 40 acres, the Post continued. From the new park, the general public will have the best view by land of the Statue of Liberty, the Post added.

In total, 72 to 87 acres of green space will be added to the island, including the park, a 14-acre esplanade park circling the island, and pocket parks dotting the island's north end, the Post added. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a park on an island that sits next to New York City," GIPEC President Leslie Koch told the Post. Proposals are due November 15^th, and GIPEC will select five finalists from those submissions, the Post added.

WTC Museum Delayed

Tuesday, November 7^th: The opening of the World Trade Center Museum will likely be pushed back due to the need to coordinate a number of construction projects in the area, the Daily News reported. The WTC Memorial is still on schedule, but the adjoining museum containing artifacts from 9/11 is now expected to open in mid-2010, the Daily News continued. The museum will not open until the visitor center, which will be located where the Deutsche Bank building currently stands, is completed, the Daily News added.

According to the Daily News, the WTC Memorial Foundation will work closely with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to move up the museum's opening as much as possible. Lynn Rasic, Memorial Foundation vice president, says that the 2010 planned museum opening is "a conservative estimate" and told the Daily News, "Given the intense amount of construction … in such close proximity at the site, it is not surprising that sequencing and coordination of these projects must occur."