A long-delayed project to erect a performing arts center at Ground Zero is finally picking up steam. New York City has stepped up to the plate with $44 million to help build the center’s below-ground foundation, according to the Associated Press.

The board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved a deal last week that will have the city repay the Authority for the work at the World Trade Center site.

Andrew Brent, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says the city plans to finance its contribution to the arts center’s construction with a small chunk of the $540 million still sitting in the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s (LMDC) coffers. This is not surprising, considering the recent news that Gov. David Paterson will be gutting the LMDC this summer, in large part due to its lack of progress in the rejuvenation of the World Trade Center site.

Regardless of where the money comes from, it’s refreshing to see that the city is moving forward with the arts center. It was part of the original master plan for the rebuilding of Ground Zero, but until now there had never been a budget or timetable for, you know, actually building it.