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WTC memorial opening delayed

By Marlene Naanes | mnaanes@am-ny.com

December 19, 2007

Some relatives of 9/11 victims are wondering whether they'll live to see the World Trade Center memorial after learning Tuesday that the tribute won't open until a decade after the attack.

"There are family members that I know that are elderly or very ill and they want to memorialize their son and their daughter and I don't know if that will happen anymore," said Bill Doyle, 60, whose son Joey Doyle was killed in the North Tower. "Now it's going to be two years later and then they'll say four years, but the further you get away from 9/11, people are going to forget about it."

Indeed, many families expressed outrage after the Port Authority, citing construction delays, announced that the Reflecting Absence memorial would open in 2011, two years later than expected.

The agency also announced it was working deal to create almost a half million square feet of retail space at the site. The timing of both announcements troubled some relatives.

"The priority of the Port Authority is to make money and I think they're able to build their shopping mall over the remnants of the dead -- they're OK to do that but not build a memorial," said Sally Regenhard, who lost her firefighter son, Christian Regenhard.

It will be another year at least before pedestrians can easily see progress. The steel of the memorial's twin reflecting pools will be built to street level in 2009. The plaza surrounding the pools would be almost finished and open to the public in 2010. The entire memorial complex, which includes an underground museum, is now expected to be finished in 2011.

"When the construction starts, you see the reality, and we want to operate on responsible timelines," Port Authority spokeswoman Candace McAdams said. "We'll work as hard as we can to get it done as soon as possible."

The memorial and museum were redesigned last year to cut costs. Many family members have opposed the design, but some say the current plan is better than nothing.

Families Tuesday asked the governor and mayor to keep the project on track.

An official in Gov. Eliot Spitzer's administration said: "The administration remains committed to moving forward with construction at ground zero. This year there has been a tremendous amount of progress at the site from the $2 billion insurance settlement, bringing JP Morgan to Tower 5 and and approving the Freedom Tower design."

But for John Vigiano, who lost two sons, John and Joseph, in the attack, the delays are unacceptable.

"It's hurtful and it's quite sad that these people that make these decisions have procrastinated for six years and have nothing done," he said. "In a year and a half we built a memorial in Babylon and it's finished."

What's next at WTC

The memorial complex is now slated for completion in 2011. Here's how the rest of the site is looking:

2011: The new PATH Transportation Hub

Terminal will be finished and open to the public.

2012: Towers 2, 3 and 4 are expected to be complete. The Freedom Tower structure, and its mechanical and electrical systems will be complete.

2013: Tower 5, the last tower at the site, is expected to be completed.