THE NEWEST 9/11 VICTIM

Why does Liberty State Park need another 9/11 memorial?
By Jon Whiten

Despite claims that Sam Pesin and the Friends of Liberty State Park are the only ones not happy with Frederic Schwartz's "Empty Sky," the proposed 9/11 memorial in the park, the opposition seems widespread, and the group hopes to corral some of that anger at a meeting tonight to pressure the state to stop the project.

The Friends’ meeting is a response to the state Department of Enviromental Protection’s (DEP) refusal to have a public meeting on the memorial design, something the Friends have been asking them to do all summer. The DEP claims that they have held open public meetings on the design for years, and that the Friends’ president, Sam Pesin, has attended these meetings. Pesin calls that claim “false and shameful,” and contends there were none. The Jersey Journal reported this week that Assemblyman Louis Manzo “sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts … asking him to ‘fast-track’ a bill that would require the state to hold a public meeting” on the memorial.

The Friends’ and their allies’ rallying cry has become that “sacred NYC and river views” are going to be blocked by the memorial. While this is somewhat true, I wish that the Friends had taken a different tack. I must admit, when I first saw the mound of dirt, I thought it was ridiculous and out of place, and I wanted it gone. And it certainly should be.

But while playing to the loss of views is a good emotional grab, designed to get citizens’ attention and create action, when one steps back and examines the situation, the loss of views is not only minor, but only part of the larger problem with the memorial.

In a conversation with City Belt, John Watson, the DEP's Deputy Commissioner rightly noted that the impact on these “sacred views” is actually minimal. “While views from a car approaching the park may be impacted, the esplanade is a mile long.” He said the memorial took away a small percentage of vantage points, for what he characterized as “a very worthy project.”

But is the project worthy? It seems like that is the real question here, yet most activists and politicians that have become involved have shied away from it, not wanting to tip America’s sacred cow: 9/11.

Liberty State Park already has one 9/11 memorial, the Groves of Remembrance, which consists of almost 700 trees planted along Audrey Zapp Drive, the entrance to the park. As the original FAQ for the 9/11 memorial competition states, “the Grove is complete except for the installation of the dedication plaque.” Why can’t this plaque be used to list the names of 9/11 victims, rather than erecting a whole new memorial?

When we asked the DEP about this, they said that we’d need to speak with the Families & Survivors Memorial Committee, the 25-member group of individuals who juried the second stage of the memorial design competition. When we asked where a list of these members could be found, the DEP said that some of them don’t want their names made public, and that they could not release the names, despite the assurance in 2003 that the names of the committee would be released when “a public announcement of the winning designs is made.”

City Belt filed an Open Public Records Act request with the state’s Council on the Arts, who oversaw the design competition, for this list of individuals who chose a design that New Jersey is putting millions of dollars into, but it has not yet been fulfilled. Today, the Council told us that they were “awaiting legal advice on the subject,” and that we would receive a formal response by Aug. 23. (We were finally given the names on Aug. 31 -- you can see them here.)

Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the DEP, hinted at why Liberty State Park was worthy of two memorials in her July 27, 2006 letter to the Friends. She said: “Liberty State Park took on new significance on 9/11 as many survivors were evacuated [there].” This is certainly true, but the need to build a second memorial in the park is still questionable, especially when you consider that the memorial's price tag has ballooned to $12 million, $5 million more than the original budget.

According to a press release, The Port Authority is providing $7 million of the funds. State budgets from the past few years show New Jersey is funding the rest. The state funded construction of the memorial to the tune of $1 million in FY 2005, then appropriated $864,000 for it in FY 2006. Apparently, this fell short, and the next year’s budget funded FY 2006’s $2.8 million shortfall.

Gov. Corzine’s budget for FY 2007 did not appropriate any further funds to the memorial. With construction continuing through at least part of 2007, and knowing the way New Jersey “does business,” it’s difficult to imagine the cost will stay at $12 million.

The memorial's supporters justify the large budget for the project by saying it will attract new visitors from all over the world to the park. But we wonder how many tourists, given the choice between visiting the planned memorial at the World Trade Center site, and one in Liberty State Park, would choose the latter.

We say leave the park as it is. Create a low-lying plague listing victims’ names and a small memorial in the Groves of Remembrance space. Save the state’s money. Most importantly, stop treating 9/11 like it’s the only disaster that has ever happened.

The Friends of Liberty State Park's meeting is tonight, Aug. 16, at 6:30 pm, at the northeast corner of the park, by the CCRNJ Terminal. See the Friends' Web site for directions.

On the Web:
Friends of Liberty State Park
Original 9/11 Memorial Information Site
“Empty Sky” information

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Comments

[Justiceiro]

One reason to oppose it, other than the fact that it blocks the view, is that it is an ugly mosrosity designed by a jumped up architect rather than an artist.

I had ambigious feelings about this memorial the first time I saw it, when it was in DC, colored black, and called the Vietnam War Memorial.

This is totally derivative, cheesy, pathetic, and antithetical to everything that it is attempting to memorialize and to the spirit of Art itself. The Architect seems to make a career out of constructing 9/11 kitsch- google him for some other crimes against good taste.

[25mc Watchdog]

This is a "me too" monument. The McGreevey administration wanted to create a memorial of significant size and grandeur to compete with the proposed memorial in NYC. The committee appointed by McCreevey officials in Trenton to select the design were disconnected from the site, and did not elicit input from people that frequent the park.

There were dozens of impassioned speeches at the public meeting in Liberty State Park on 8.17.2006 from 6:30 PM to the Park Closing at 10PM. The consensus:
Should there be a 911 memorial in LSP? Yes
Should the memorial block the view of Ground Zero? No

Photos and comments are available at the 25mc Blog: http://25mc.com

[Editor]

That sounds about right for McGreevey, 25mc -- really did a lot for his legacy, right? I wish I could have made it to the meeting last night, but I've been quite sick this week. Seems like it was a tempered "success."

To expand on your point about the folks appointed to select the design: The committee of experts was made up of some people who don't even live in New Jersey, much less anywhere near LSP. And the Familes Committee -- well, as we say in our story, we don't know who the fuck they are. Some of them have come forward in articles in the Star Ledger, but what about the rest? I'd at least like to know their names.

Everyone who opposes this memorial should contact Corzine's office and request an open public meeting.
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html

[Rick Cahill]

If any of you had bothered to attend the groundbreaking 2 years ago, you would know who was a member of the Family Members and Ssurvivors committee. Where the heck have you people been for the past 4 1/2 years or do you all let Sam Pesin drag you around by the nose?

[Editor]

We're certainly not interested in having Sam Pesin drag us around by the nose, nor were we interested in attending the groundbreaking. Does that mean we're not entitled to know?

[rick cahill]

No, it means you were not really interested in what goes on at Liberty State Park unless you can create some controversy for no reason at all. Again, where were all of you for the past 4 1/2 years?

[Editor]

Rick,

Your logic fails to impress.

Indeed, we are interested in what goes on at Liberty State Park. That's why we wrote the story. Whether or not we attended a "groundbreaking" 2 years ago, and the fact that we are a new news organization does not preclude us from caring. That's just a ridiculous argument.

We're not interested in creating "controversy for no reason at all" -- we're interested in open government, transparency and some fiscal responsibility here.

[Rick Cahill]

My only remaining question is the winning design was publicly announced, with many members of the press both print and television, in July of 2004 at the New Jersey PAC in Newark. This included a scale model of the Memorial and a lengthy verbal description from the architect.http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek04/tw0709/0709nj_memorial.htm
With all of that information available to the public, I just wonder why, 2 years later, there are complaints about the design and location of the Memorial. I would like to think you understand my level of frustration since a great amount of time and effort has been spent by me and the committee to chose the right design for the park. (You should have seen the ones we rejected!) We really did have the best interests of the park in mind. If we and the State knew sooner that FOLSP hated the design, maybe we could have relocated the entire project. If the FOLSP had voiced concern earlier, we could have brought them into the discussions. As it is now, there were no complaints until the early, early part of construction began when the mound was established. When the knoll is reduced to its final height, FOLSP will see the beauty of the Memorial and appreciate the enhancement to the Park.

[Editor]

Rick,

I do understand your frustration, absolutely. Your observation on the timing of the opposition also rings true. I think that's where City Belt and many of the people (and, if I read Sam Pesin correctly, FOLSP) differ on reasons for being against the memorial. The Friends and many local people are upset about the height and the view, and things of that nature. City Belt is upset that the state is paying for a second memorial to 9/11 victims in the park.

We grant you that it was a terrible tragedy, and I'm sure your pain runs deep. But the people of our state and our country and our world suffer innumerable tragedies that never get memorialized. And so we are against the entire idea of this memorial, and, had we been a news organization when McGreevey announced it, would have spoken out against it then.

[Justiceiro]

I think the problem, Rick, is that construction activity in Jersey City was anounced at the NJPAC in Newark. I don't live in Newark, and in fact had no idea that anything was being built until a giant mound of dirt was dumped in my favorite park. If you are going to build something in the middle of my park, its your duty to inform me, not mine to ferret out something that isn't obvious.

Additionally, calling this thing an "improvement to the park" is quite unbelievable. Its clear that the architect who designed it is a hack- as I said before, his firm seems to have cashed in big time on the fashionability of ostentatious mourning and has designed a number of 9/11 memorials- each one schlockier than the last.

Will someone please address the fact that this memorial, beside being useless and irrelevant, is ugly and poorly done? I really can't make any bones about it- this design is a piece of crap.

The only memorial any of us who live here need is a walk down to the watere to lok at were the WTC stood. It's our neighborhood, we don't need a pretentious set of memorial walls to remind us of what has happened here.

I am reminded of what Carlos V said when he saw the effects of the "renovation" of the Mosque at Cordoba.

"You have built what you or others might have built anywhere, but you have destroyed something unique in the world."