Governor Pataki tried to jumpstart the rebuilding process at the World Trade Center at a press conference yesterday. The big things: "Fast-track" a new Freedom Tower design; begged Goldman Sachs to move downtown; and introduced John Cahill, who will be the "downtown czar." Now, it sounds great to have a Freedom Tower design by June, but designing a symbolic, safe and useful 1,776 foot tower in the place where there have been two bombings deserves as much time as it needs. Perhaps Skidmore Owings and Merrill is dusting off never-submitted Freedom Tower designs from the earlier competition! Anyway, the NYPD has even approved the preliminary design, so Gothamist suspects some serious weekend hours were put into getting something started.
And former FBI director James Kallstrom is now in charge of overseeing security at the World Trade Center.
