Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 22:48:55 -0500 (EST) From: Louis Epstein Subject: WTC Rebuilding #169:Tomson Going,Comments and Plans News reports today cover the impending departure of Tomson from his position...the Post story is at http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/53264.htm and the Times story is: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Head of Downtown Rebuilding Agency to Leave January 17, 2003 Louis R. Tomson, the president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, who shepherded the rebuilding process through a sometimes chaotic first year, will resign from the agency effective the end of February, state officials said yesterday. In a letter to Gov. George E. Pataki outlining his plans, Mr. Tomson noted that he had long planned to step down once the development corporation had agreed with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on a development plan for the World Trade Center site and a setting for a memorial to the victims of the attack on the trade center. That process is to be completed by early next month. Mr. Tomson was a longtime aide to Mr. Pataki who tried to stay out of the spotlight. One of his main assignments was to lead the rebuilding effort through the election last fall, keeping any controversy away from the governor. Almost immediately after the election, Mr. Tomson told several colleagues in state government that he would soon retire. Although he is now in good health, he has been bothered by the lingering effects of kidney and prostate cancer, and he often said he was not fond of his weekly trip to and from his home on 16 acres in Voorheesville, east of Albany. Mr. Tomson was among the first to publicly champion getting rid of the initial set of plans for the rebuilding of the trade center site, released in July. The following month, the agency issued a call to architects for innovative designs, a process that led to the nine plans currently under consideration. --------------------------------- ---------- End forwarded message ---------- It is hard to read the tea-leaves on this. Someone new will be in that job when the "final plan" faces its public hearings...the Post says Bloomberg may try to influence the selection in the direction of his "vision".A number of shills for letting the politicians decide directly were at the hearings this week (a former Bloomberg campaign worker spoke both nights). We need to keep pressure up for our goal of tall towers, of course,whoever is there to receive it.The January 21st hearing will need New Jersey's tower supporters out in force. Another Times story indicates that the Foster, Libeskind,and Peterson/Littenberg plans are the most popular...but also says that only about a third of the comments they obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request actually favored one of the nine plans,despite the claim Monday in the same paper that all but a few did. "None of the above" sentiment is good,but as was pointed out in a thread on the NYCS board it doesn't get us what we want by itself.As I have said since these designs came out,and mentioned in my own comments (see http://www.put.com/wtc/dtcomm.html if you haven't) these seem almost designed to put building tall on the defensive, when building tall does NOT mean building weird.To be against these plans should not leave room for interpretation as being against building tall. Only sixteen days remain in the comment period for the nine design team plans and EVERYONE SHOULD SEND IN COMMENTS! Email to lmdc@empire.state.ny.us or fax to 212-962-2431 or 2433 or mailed to "LMDC" at One Liberty Plaza,20th floor New York,New York 10006. If you want to comment on the design team plans AND the memorial "mission statement and program",remember to do so in separate envelopes saying outside what the contents refer to...this is the best way to avoid getting misfiled. In neither case should you attempt to offer a design of your own,for towers or memorial...this will get you a form letter from Kevin Rampe (who as General Counsel is in charge of their lawyers and as Executive Vice President is likely to step in until Tomson is replaced as President,should there be a delay) telling you to sign away all intellectual property rights,or they will file it away and never look at it.In the case of a memorial plan,they will say that their competition hasn't started yet and they will not look at your proposal,because it would be unfair. And any comments along with your plans will be binned along with the plans. What you should send should be COMMENTS on what they are asking for comments about.For the memorial,you can point to all the past places footprints have been rebuilt upon,or criticize the idea of bringing human remains to the site,or whatever...and mention the need for tall towers to create the needed historical and urban context for a memorial to really honor those who died. On the design team plans...you need to write comments that are ON the design team plans. Saying "Give us our old Twins back!" is not a comment on the nine plans, even if it's better advice than building any of them. Saying "Build [Liberty Square or WTC 2002 or Sieb's "Memorial Circle" or whatever] instead of these" is not a comment that talks about the nine plans. Address the qualities and drawbacks of the plans themselves. Foster has good height,but the towers should be offset. Meier-Eisenman-etc is too short and has too many windows that look straight at other parts of the same building. Libeskind's height is ornamental and OCCUPIED height is a MUST, Peterson/Littenberg's twins are not bulky enough or tall enough. And so on. Do make clear the need for occupied height at least as tall as before as a must...the more comments that return to that theme the better. Criticize concern about market demand,remind them that the great buildings in New York history got that way because they dared to ignore it. Downplay any interest in restoring old streets. Of course,I can't ask you to say any of these things if you don't believe them...you have to speak with your own voice... but the number of comments that tell them that towers of at least the height of the old ones are the most important thing is very,very imoportant. See you on the 111th floor on 9-11-11! -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.