All posts by Seth Werkheiser

Ground Zero Mosque

American Center for Law and Justice Criticizes Mayor’s Office

News, Politics, , , , , , , ,
Ground Zero Mosque
The planned location of the Park51 Community Center

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents Tim Brown, a New York City firefighter who was a first responder to the September 11th attacks and ultimately survived the collapse of the Twin Towers, recently filed a lawsuit to stop the erection of the Ground Zero Mosque. As of Wednesday, the ACLJ requested that the court enjoin the mosque’s developers from performing any demolition or construction at the site.

The situation is a bit sticky, as the ACLJ claims that Mayor Bloomberg’s office is getting in the way of justice, in terms of reluctance to issue documents, and released a statement on the matter. “There is a disturbing pattern of stonewalling by the City and Mayor’s Office in providing information about what’s clearly been a politically tainted process from day one,” said Brett Joshpe, ACLJ Counsel.  “The limited release of documents by the Mayor’s Office underscores our concerns.  With developers moving forward with their plans and the continued lack of response by the City, we’re seeking an injunction from the court to halt the destruction of any of the buildings at issue in the case.”

The ACLJ’s lawsuit names New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the New York City Department of Buildings, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the mosque’s developers.  The suit also cites two complaints to the Department of Buildings noting unauthorized work without proper permits at the mosque site and the developers’ application for $5 million in public funding through the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation as an indication that project is moving forward.

The ACLJ’s lawsuit alleges that the LPC abused its discretion and acted arbitrarily in its deliberations last summer about whether to landmark a building that was damaged on September 11th and which would need to be demolished to develop the Ground Zero Mosque.

What is your opinion on the Ground Zero mosque?

Deutsche Bank 130 Liberty Street Deconstruction

Deutsche Bank Tower Down to Two Stories

News
Deutsche Bank 130 Liberty Street Deconstruction
The Deconstruction of the former Deutsche Bank building.

The Deutsche Bank Tower, which has been contaminated and shrouded in an ominous black net for nearly a decade at the Ground Zero site, has remained standing despite the hazards of its existence and long-delayed plans to take it down. The 41-story building, marred when the World Trade Center’s South Tower collapsed and tore a 15-story hole in it, will finally come fully down by the middle of the month, reports The Associated Press.

The steel framework of the building is being dismantled, to the delight of locals, as it not only allows more light but it also encourages the healing process to take another step further as a constant visual reminder of the attacks is gone, allowing the new buildings are erected. There are only two stories left of the building and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which oversaw the $300 million project, said that those final two stories should be gone in a week or so. January 15th was the expected completion date, but the snow storm delayed it to January 20th.

The Deutsche Bank building was initially supposed to be taken down in 2005 but the disassembly was stalled over issues regarding who would fund the process. There were arguments about whether or not the building should be razed or restored. However, the LMDC, bought the building for $90 million, cleaned it and tore it down.

How does the final dismantling of the Deutsche Bank building make you feel?

Artist Adorns Wall Street Bull With Crocheted Sweater

Arts, News, ,
This stunt was no bull

The Wall Street Bull, a famous, iconic symbol of the financial district, underwent a bit of an involuntary makeover during the holiday season, as NYC based artist Agata Olek outfitted the bronzed beast with a garish pink and blue crocheted sweater in guerilla fashion on December 27th.

The Charging Bull’s fashionable display lasted a mere two hours and it fell in line with the season’s tradition of ugly holiday sweaters.

However, Olek said that the sweater was a gift to NYC and that it was a tribute to Arturo di Modica, who illegally put the bull on Wall Street during Christmas of 1987 following the Stock Market crash.

What do you think of the Wall Street Bull’s sweater?

Workers at Ground Zero (Photo: Flickr @mashleymorgan)

400 Ground Zero Lawsuits Tossed Out of Court

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Workers at Ground Zero (Photo: Flickr @mashleymorgan)
Workers at Ground Zero (Photo: Flickr @mashleymorgan)

400 lawsuits filed by ill Ground Zero rescue workers were tossed out of court by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. According to the New York Post, the workers ignored the city’s effort to settle or they simply could not be located by the attorney who was dispatched with the task of tracking them down.

Conversely, 98 percent of the workers eligible for compensation accepted the city’s offer. Only 152 of the over 10,000 plaintiffs that filed suit opted out of the agreement with the city, which is valued at over $660 million. Whether or not those cases go to trial will be decided on February 2, which Hellerstein set as the date for a court conference to discuss the hot-button matter.

Do you think that the judge should have given the MIA Ground Zero rescue workers more time to respond to the city’s effort to settle? Or is he being fair overall?

Fireman in the wreckage of the World Trade Center

9/11 First Responders Bill Passes House and Senate

News, Politics
Fireman in the wreckage of the World Trade Center
An NYFD fireman in the wreckage of the World Trade Center (Photo:US Navy)

The House and the Senate have passed a compromise bill for the first responders to the 9/11 attacks. The bill is on its way to President Obama to sign into law.

The $4.2 billion bill will provide medical benefits and compensation to the firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel that immediately responded to the victims of the attacks. The bill has been the subject of controversy among the two parties for a multitude of tax reasons and fear of waste, as well as a scientific conundrum in proving that 9/11 toxins were the actual cause of certain illnesses.

CNN reports that New York Senator Chuck Schumer said the passing of the bill was a “great day” for the nation, especially for first responders who suffer from a variety of physical ailments after breathing in the toxins that were present at Ground Zero and are therefore in need of medical attention due to their courageous and heroic actions to help others as the World Trade Center Twin Towers were collapsing.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the Senate’s approval of the bill “affirms our nation’s commitment to protecting those who protect us all.”

Do you think this bill being passed is a victory for the first responders?

Defining Ground Zero beyond the footprints of the Twin Towers

$7.4 Billion Ground Zero Aid Package Fading

News, Politics, ,
Defining Ground Zero beyond the footprints of the Twin Towers
The aid package for rescue workers at Ground Zero is failing (Credit: FEMA)

In what is sure to frustrate those who gave their time and energy in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it appears that the $7.4 billion aid package designed to benefit workers who got sick from their efforts at Ground Zero is fading. On Wednesday, the Senate passed a tax-cut bill without the 9/11 legislation.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the those who supported the legislation, which would provide both health care and compensation to the people who fell ill after working at the World Trade Center Site after the 9/11 attacks, hoped to get it attached to the tax deal. But that did not happen.

Republicans apparently placed priority on the tax cut. Also, when the Senate’s spending bill was revealed on Wednesday, the 9/11 legislation was conspicuously absent from the list. While the House already passed the measure, many politicos feel that the project is too costly and could become wasteful and/or fraudulent.

Those who were exposed to the dangerous dust and debris from the WTC site are currently receiving piecemeal, government-provided health monitoring. This particular legislation would turn the short-term, case-by-case care into a long-term program. President Obama is a supporter of the bill and has said he would sign it if passed.

Do you think this bill will ever be passed?

One World Trade Center

1 World Trade Center Reaches Midway Point

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One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center is in the works.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate a major milestone. The Associated Press reports that the steel construction of 1 World Trade Center – formerly the Freedom Tower – has reached the midway point. Many New Yorkers felt that the only salve that would heal the wounds of September 11 would be the day that the ground was broken. Now, the fact that the 1 World Trade Center site has reached the halfway point helps to soothe the scar just a little bit more.

The building is expected to be comprised of 104 stories and it reached the 52nd story mark on Thursday, rising 600 feet into the sky despite years of developmental delays. With its antenna, the building will rise to 1776 feet, making it the tallest structure in the city’s storied skyline.

Despite rechristening the building to “1 World Trade Center” in a bid to lure corporate tenants, locals still refer to the site as the “Freedom Tower.”

How does the news that 1 World Trade Center is halfway done make you feel?

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at World Trade Center

Church at WTC Site Faces Engineering Problems

News, , , ,
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at World Trade Center
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church destroyed on 9/11 (Photo by Grisha Ressetar. Copyright 2001)

More drama abounds at Ground Zero. The Greek Archdiocese of New York is at odds with the Port Authority over its promise to rebuild St. Nicholas Church. The church, initially located at 155 Cedar Street, was destroyed by the World Trade Center debris; the new location would be 130 Liberty Street, which was once the location of the Deutsche Bank building. Despite the haggling over funds and deal points, more problems –this time of the engineering sort- have arisen. The New York Post reports that the steel that the Port Authority ordered for the Vehicle Screening Center that would be located beneath the church is unable to support the structure the Archdiocese wants to build, making it structurally unsound.

The VSC is a security-clearance facility for delivery trucks and will provide service to buildings at the WTC site. A lawyer for the Archdiocese argued that the PA’s claims about the steel is another stalling tactic, but an engineering source said that a redesign and ordering replacement steel would costs millions and further delays.

The Port Authority and the church have been battling over the rebuilding process, with the PA accusing the church of making escalating and unreasonable demands, while the church has said the PA is misappropriating the land and interfering with their rights.

Will this church ever be rebuilt in a fashion that suits both sides?

Slated World Trade Center Graphic

4 World Trade Center Site May Be Delayed

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Slated World Trade Center Graphic
Proposed World Trade Center Site (Courtesy: Renewnyc.com)

The World Trade Center site defies the current climate and is one of the hottest pieces of real estate in New York City, but the construction of 4 World Trade Center, which is a part of the project, maybe be put on ice due to bond issues. Developer Larry Silverstein is set to issue a $1.3 billion bond package to finance the continued construction of 4 World Trade Center, which is a 64-story office tower at the site’s southeast corner.

4 WTC is set to open in 2013, a date that may or may not be in jeopardy due to fluctuation in the municipal bond markets and the fact that Silverstein and the Port Authority may delay issuing those bonds as a result of market conditions.

“Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority have elected to temporarily delay pricing of the Liberty Bonds,” the developer’s statement said. “It is better to wait until the bond market has stabilized to the point that our Liberty Bonds could be priced based on the strength of our project and the high credit ratings it has received, rather than on the external factors now roiling the markets.”

Translation: They are waiting and seeing.

Will the former site of the Twin Towers ever be fully finished?

Christmas Trees Past

MulchFest to Help New Yorkers Get Rid of Post-Holiday Waste

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Christmas Trees Past
(Photo: Flickr @CocteauBoy)

You may be enjoying your festive holiday tree right now, but what about early January, when it’s shedding needles, wilting and taking up space? Well, The Alliance for Downtown New York will help cure the post-holiday headache of dealing with the disposal of your tree after it has served its purpose! But that’s not all. You can recycle other unwanted electronic goods, too, as part of the MulchFest and Electronic Waste Recycling event.

The event is scheduled for January 8th at Bowling Green Park. You can get rid of your tree between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM; recycling of unwanted electronics is open from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Hot apple cider and light snacks will be served, and New York City Department of Sanitation mascots will be on site, too.

For more information about MulchFest and Electronic Waste Recycling, call 212.835.2789 or visit here.

Will you let MulchFest collect your holiday tree on January 8?