New man to take charge of Ground Zero rebuild
The governor of New York has appointed a top aide to oversee the controversial rebuilding of Ground Zero.
George Pataki has put his chief-of-staff John Cahill in charge and insists that the soaring Freedom Tower will be built and will be the tallest building in the world.
“Failure to rebuild is not an option, not now and not ever,” he said. “We will not tolerate unnecessary delays.”
Three-and-a-half years since the twin towers collapsed after the attack by al Qaida, he said new designs would be unveiled next month and insisted this time they would get it right.
Security concerns saw the original plans sent back to the drawing board amid widespread criticism that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had neglected the project.
Mr Pataki said the redesigned tower would rise 1,776 feet into the air. He has also earmarked €237.4m ($300m) for a September 11 memorial at the site.
The New York Police Department has reviewed the preliminary design and determined that the building can be constructed with appropriate levels of security, he said.
Mr Cahill will co-ordinate various agencies involved in the rebuilding and negotiate with the leaseholder of the trade centre site, city and police officials.
He is believed to have been tasked with trying to persuade Goldman Sachs to reconsider its decision to scrap plans to build its headquarters near the site.
Former top FBI officer James Kallstrom has been charged with overseeing security.
Mr Pataki’s announcement came close to the first public acknowledgement that the project has suffered serious setbacks.
He has made no secret of his desire for a rebuilt and prosperous downtown Manhattan to be the cornerstone of his legacy. As yet, there are few signs of construction at the 16-acre site.
