Kevin Rampe will replace John Whitehead as LMDC chairman

One year after he stepped down as president, Kevin Rampe is returning to lead the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) as its chairman. Governor George Pataki made the announcement on May 18^th, simultaneously appointing prominent tri-state developer Frank Sciame to lead the World Trade Center (WTC) Memorial's development within its allotted budget.

Rampe replaces Chairman John Whitehead, who will leave at the end of the month after nearly five years at the helm of the LMDC. Rampe's appointment as chairman marks his return to the agency, having served first as executive vice president, then as its president from March 2003 to May 2005. He also has been a member of the WTC Memorial Foundation's board of directors since December 2004.

"Kevin Rampe has shown an unwavering commitment to the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan, and he will make an outstanding chairman," Pataki said in a statement. "He brings the dedication, experience, energy and insight necessary to keep the momentum going on the reconstruction of the World Trade Center and the revitalization of downtown."

The governor, along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, noted three critical tasks that Rampe will focus on right away. First, he will collaborate with Sciame, together with the WTC Memorial Foundation and the Port Authority, to expedite the memorial's construction by September 11, 2009, and within the budget cap of $500 million.

Additionally, Rampe will carry out the completion of Lower Manhattan's rebuilding projects by transferring allocated LMDC funds to the responsible entities. Rampe also will implement the design guidelines laid out in the Libeskind Master Plan to redevelop the WTC site.

"During Kevin's tenure as president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, he demonstrated a unique ability to build consensus among the various stakeholders and to get things done," Bloomberg said in a statement. "We are making a great deal of progress advancing the interests of Lower Manhattan, both on the World Trade Center site and in the surrounding area, and we look forward to working with Kevin again as he steps into his new role as chairman."

The appointment of Sciame to expedite the memorial's construction marks the governor's and mayor's commitment to its timely, cost-efficient creation. Sciame will work with the foundation's design committee to refine Michael Arad and Peter Walker's vision for "Reflecting Absence" and its position within Libeskind's Master Plan. Sciame first will reconcile cost estimates by the Memorial Foundation, LMDC, Port Authority, and the Memorial and Master Plan Design Committee and work to further identify opportunities to both reduce costs and find additional efficiencies for its many components -- including infrastructure, security, and operations.

By June 15, Sciame will present design refinements to the governor and mayor, as well as the LMDC, for finalization by July 2006.

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