Officilals discuss the progress of the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum

Officials of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation held their quarterly board meeting on Tuesday, April 4^th, to further discuss the progress of the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum. Alice Greenwald, who will assume the position of museum director next week, told reporters that the museum "will be about people and what it means to live in a world that was forever changed by 9/11." 

Gretchen Dykstra, WTC Memorial Foundation president and CEO, reported that $130 million has been raised towards the $500 million goal. When all signed commitments are factored in, that figure increases further still, leaving the foundation with $170 million still to raise.

According to Dykstra, the foundation is about to release the footings package, which includes the space the museum and memorial will occupy in the Ground Zero site. Museum construction is scheduled to begin this year as well, she added. When asked about the possibility of a museum entrance fee, she said that the issue had been discussed in the meeting and that the foundation is looking into other potential revenue streams, including memberships and endowments. When pressed on the issue of site preparation costs, she told reporters that the foundation believes that the Port Authority should assume responsibility for the infrastructure costs of the Ground Zero site, but that the foundation is prepared to cover the costs of the memorial and museum, both of which are scheduled to open in 2009.

The WTC Memorial Foundation now counts nine victim's family members among its advisory board, helping to provide input on heated issues such as victims' name and rank placement within the memorial. Citing the importance of "bringing people in contact with the authentic remnants of the site," Greenwald acknowledged a tension between monumentality and intimacy, which she said the memorial will help to capture and reflect. "It will be a memorial and a statement of hope."