Can this get any stupider? Where is the money coming from for this?:
Construction costs for the World Trade Center memorial have risen to an estimated $1 billion — twice as much as officials had planned to spend.Last year, rebuilding officials said it would cost $490 million to build the memorial and an adjacent museum, which is slated to take up eight acres of the 16-acre site when it opens in 2009. Preliminary site work began in March.
Contractors this week issued a revised estimate of $1 billion, a person familiar with the figures told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the number had not yet been publicly announced.
The new estimate includes $700 million for memorial and museum construction and $300 million to prepare the site, such as work shoring up a retaining wall and other infrastructure costs, the source said.
They can put up a billion-dollar memorial at Pearl Harbor while they're at it. Thousands of people died there too.
I'd assumed we'd shove two towers right back up into the sky, even taller than before. Instead we'll get a billion-dollar boohoo.
Posted by floridacracker at May 4, 2006 10:12 PM"I'd assumed we'd shove two towers right back up into the sky, even taller than before."
Me too [ D. Trump, as well), but the pols pander to the pusilanimous among us...
Right after 9-11 my mother said, "Well, we'll just put 'em right back up, taller and bigger than ever." We all nodded our heads; of course that's what we'd do.
Posted by: Donnah at May 5, 2006 07:14 AMAlas, this is the realm of the superbureaucrats... where more is never enough and your money flows from their hands like dust in the wind.
Every revision requires new funding with the only ones getting rich are the selected friends that control the unbuilt project plans.
All the while nothing gets accomplished leaving the memorial and towers but a dream in the hearts of the survivors.
Yes, if there was someone like DT in charge the towers would have been rebuilt better than before and the memorial would be there for all to visit.
Posted by: Gmac at May 5, 2006 10:40 AMI'm sick of the whole thing. Nothing good ever comes out of "design by committee" that takes longer than a week.
Posted by: tree hugging sister at May 5, 2006 06:10 PM Sometime in the last month or two, I heard the Donald discussing this cost. He said he could do it better, have a safer building, better looking, and for about 35 to 40% of what is considered now. Don't know if that was before or after the increase to a billion. Don't have any love for the Donald, but I must say that he does know what he is talking about in this type of issue. Seems he even put his planning or design staff to figuring the costs with his method. Why would we expect a government funded thing to have an attractive price tag? Our government isn't into setting precedent with lowered spending. (And I voted for 'em). America needs a Memorial! Sure enuf. It is the price that pi$$es us off.
nuf sed
Probably could buy a solid gold 100' high beautifully sculpted hand flipping a bird for that kind of coin.
Posted by: Purple Avenger at May 6, 2006 05:31 PM