This week Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg released a plan for changes to the WTC Memorial and Memorial Museum. The Sciame Report brings the Memorial and Museum plan in line with the $500 million budget. I am encouraged that Mr. Sciame was able to make this important step forward and that Michael Arad has made the commitment to remain involved in the process as further decisions are made. I believe the recommendations give the memorial project much needed clarity, however, other aspects of the memorial design that may be of particular interest to 9/11 families remain unclear, including:

-- a below grade space to reflect
-- the listing of victims names
-- a place for the unidentified remains
-- location of the family room
-- specific details on access and preservation of the WTC footprints at bedrock

In my view visitors should have an opportunity to experience the memorial on many different levels. Since the names will be placed at street level, a quiet place below grade should be provided away from the hustle and bustle of the city. As visitors descend into the memorial I envision that photographs of the victims would be displayed to reinforce the enormity of the loss of life. Pictures are worth a thousands words – they provide a deeper understanding the people who perished. We need clarity about the access to bedrock and preservation of the footprints of the building. I believe the unidentified remains should be placed at bedrock in a central location between the footprints of the two buildings along with a private place for families to gather together and pay their respects. Finally, we must keep a keen focus on the highest standards of safety and security.

9/11 affected us all, and we are all "stakeholders" in an appropriate and inspirational memorial at Ground Zero. I encourage all of you, both family members and members of the general public to educate yourselves about the changes in the memorial design and express your own concerns and hopes for the WTC Memorial and Memorial Museum. As a reminder public comments are being accepted through June 27, 2006. Read our e-Newsletter article for more information. In addition, we would like to hear your thoughts on these issues. Please forward any comments to email@voicesofsept11.org.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet

Six members of VOICES Parents teleconference met in person at the VOICES office in New Canaan Tuesday, June 6th. Then they had their usual group with Judy Stotz, LPC, facilitating, but held the meeting face-to-face for the first time, building on a bond that already existed via the teleconference.

We at Voices would like to invite other teleconference groups to meet in-person at our office during office hours. If interested, please speak to your facilitator during the teleconference group.

The report outlining a plan to bring the World Trade Center Memorial and Memorial Museum in line with the established $500 million budget was released this week. A seven-day public comment period will end next Tuesday, June 27. The analysis is the result of a month long process spearheaded by builder Frank Sciame included victims’ families, Lower Manhattan business and residential communities, members of the memorial jury, architects and other stakeholders.

The most significant change to “Reflecting Absence” recommended in the report is moving the names of the over 3,000 lost in the attacks to street level. According to Sciame’s report: “The names will be moved to parapets (low walls) surrounding the [reflecting] pools at grade (street level). This location for the names will allow for the greatest accessibility at any time of day, and will remove the need for visitors to process through security checkpoints in order to view the names below-grade. The waterfalls will be retained, as well as the landscaping features, both of which create the contemplative sense of separation from the City.” The parapets are seen in the illustration at left. To view the report and obtain additional information please click on the links below:

VOICES urges all to visit the LMDC's website, inform yourself about the proposed changes, and let your voice be heard on this vitally important issue. LMDC will be accepting comments on the draft analysis and recommendations through June 27, 2006 by email on www.RenewNYC.com or in writing to:

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Attn: Memorial Analysis and Recommendations
One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10006

9/11 Family Members can email their concerns to Anthoula Katsimatides directly at akatsimatides@renewnyc.com or call 212-962-2300.

Revised Design for 9/11 Memorial Saves Many Features and Lowers Cost -- The reconceived World Trade Center memorial and museum, unveiled yesterday after weeks of anxious anticipation, tries to solve security problems, placate disaffected family members and, most of all, reduce the project cost from an estimated $672 million (New York Times)

Cost-Cutting Analysis of Memorial Gives Port Authority Greater Role -- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will likely take on an even greater role in rebuilding ground zero, if the recommendations for a redesign of the World Trade Center Memorial are approved later this month (New York Sun)

The Effect of Moving 9/11 to Street Level -- It will be a less expensive memorial, certainly. Maybe it will be a better memorial. But make no mistake, it will be a much different memorial (NY Times)

Last week's article on the Firefighter's Memorial Wall at Ten House failed to mention its direct and original inspiration, the selfless heroism of Glenn J. Winuk on 9/11. Glenn was a 20-year veteran volunteer firefighter and EMT who raced to the WTC to participate in the rescue effort and tragically perished while trying to save the lives of others. He was a partner in the law firm of Holland and Knight and the only member of that firm lost on 9/11. It was the loyalty and admiration of his colleagues for Glenn and their sincere gratitude to all firefighters that led to the Wall’s development as well as Holland and Knight's sponsorship of its cost. A large plaque at the Memorial Wall honoring Glenn and the 343 FDNY members is seen in the photo at left. (click image for full size)

The remarks delivered by Glenn's brother Jay, a co-founder of One Day's Pay, at the Memorial's dedication on June 11 explains more about the motivation to build the Wall and some of the lessons we can learn from the heroism showed by Glenn, the 343 members of the FDNY, and all those who answered the call on 9/11. Click here to read the full text of Jay Winuk's remarks, excerpted below:

"I think this Memorial is nothing short of a statement to the world. It announces that here, in this city and in this country, we value life. We value courage. We value honor, and we honor those who sacrifice for others. We are at once compassionate and resilient. We are principled. We survive adversity, and then we flourish. And I suspect these sentiments are embraced by every person who contributed to this Memorial. I have some hopes for this Memorial Wall, some expectations. I hope that it will teach, really teach, future generations the other side of September 11. That in the face of our nation’s worst tragedy, Americans came together as one, doing whatever we could to help each other. And no one represents that phenomenon more stunningly than those firefighters and other rescuers who sacrificed their lives on September 11."

There were two other errors in last week's report: the second reference to FDNY Asst. Chief Harold Meyers misspelled his last name. Also, the dedication ceremonies took place on both June 10 and June 11, with dignitaries, family members and video presentations at both. In fact, there were even more people at the June 11 ceremonies than on June 10. To see a short video on the Firefighter's Memorial Wall and information on how you can support this tribute to the noble actions of New York's bravest citizens on 9/11, please visit the Holland and Knight Charitable Foundation website.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) painted a fairly bleak picture of American preparedness this week after conducting an extensive nation-wide assessment. According to the National Plan Review, nearly five years after the 9/11 attacks and 10 months after Hurricane Katrina, most American cities and states remain unprepared for catastrophes from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.

The disaster response plans for all 50 states, six territories, and 75 urban areas were examined for consistency and coordination, as well as tested for weaknesses. All of the 131 plans revealed some shortcomings, especially in the areas of evacuation, attention to populations with special needs, command structure, and resource management. Also, the review found "We rely to a troubling extent on plans that are created in isolation, are insufficiently detailed and are not subject to adequate review." Some excerpts from the report are found in Associated Press coverage.

The best marks went to the 18 states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Oceans because of pre-existing hurricane-management plans. However, the National Plan Review findings demonstrate the need for all levels of government across the country to improve emergency operations plans for events such as a major terrorist attack or category-five hurricane strike.

“Dedicated officials across the country have, for the most part, done very well in planning for and responding to disasters of the scope and scale most common in the United States” said George Foresman, DHS Under Secretary for Preparedness as quoted in a DHS Press Release. “However, the findings of the Nationwide Plan Review unequivocally support the need to modernize planning processes, products, and tools, and to move our national emergency planning efforts to the next level needed for catastrophic events. It is a natural evolution towards working together as a nation to implement the lessons from seminal events such as the September 11th attacks and Hurricane Katrina.”

President Bush and Congress ordered the Nationwide Plan Review after Hurricane Katrina to assess preparedness and recommendations for the federal government to improve and coordinate planning. To address the National Plan Review findings and conclusions, DHS has established a National Preparedness Task Force to strengthen and systematize catastrophic planning among all levels of government.

Yesterday, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams lodged strong protest against the 40% cuts both cities received in their funding this year from the Department of Homeland Security. Both mayors aired their grievances at a largely sympathetic hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee. The hearing was chaired by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who strongly condemned the cuts as a "stab in the back to the city of New York," according to NY Newsday coverage. For more information on the cuts, read analysis from the June 2nd VOICES e-Newsletter.

Bloomberg particularly criticized DHS for denying funds for police overtime and additional officers, claiming that boots on the ground among are the best counterterrorism strategies available to America's cities. "Time and again, human intelligence has disrupted terrorism planning, from a plot to bomb a major subway station in our city during the 2004 Republican National Convention, to the conspiracy revealed earlier this month to attack targets in Ontario, Canada," as quoted in the New York Times.

Given the opportunity to respond, a DHS official shifted the blame for the cuts to Congress. George W. Foresman, the under secretary for preparedness at DHS, told the committee that Congress itself had imposed restrictions on how much of the urban grants could be spent on personnel and overtime, and that Congress was also responsible for an overall 15% reduction in grant dollars. Foresman also defended the complicated formulas used by a secret panel of reviewers to divide funds, but said the agency is willing to "tweak the process... We will continue to look at methodology on risk and on effectiveness, and we'll get these processes where they need to be," Foresman is quoted in Washington Post coverage.

Seven Are Charged With Plot to Blow Up Sears Tower -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation's deputy director said today that a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago by seven Miami men now facing federal conspiracy charges was "more aspirational than operational," but illustrated the threat posed by small groups without connections to international terror networks. Click here to read the full indictment against the alleged plotters (New York Times)

Bank Data Is Sifted by U.S. in Secret to Block Terror -- Under a secret Bush administration program initiated weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials have gained access to financial records from a vast international database and examined banking transactions involving thousands of Americans and others in the United States, according to government and industry officials (NY Times)

A clinic for their 9/11 ills -- The living victims of the 9/11 terror attacks want to be remembered too - but not with a $500 million memorial. They're asking for $5 million in "seed money" to launch a pulmonary and environmental health clinic in lower Manhattan (NY Daily News)