Volume 17 • Issue 37 | February 11 – 17, 2005
Tunnel call
To The Editor:
Thank you for always providing terrific coverage regarding the misguided West St. tunnel proposal. This project now appears to be at a critical juncture. While residents and elected officials have testified and written to the governor and State Department of Transportation time and time again to express our opposition to this tunnel, there are indications that the State Department of Transportation may soon announce that they have decided to build the $860 million tunnel anyway.
When a $175 million at-grade alternative would adequately remedy West St.’s issues, a tunnel would waste an enormous amount of taxpayer funds on a project that is dangerous, unnecessarily disruptive and completely unwanted. Given the inadequate state funding for and proposed cuts to schools, libraries and mass transit projects, it would be a breach of the public trust for the state to waste an extra $685 million for the reconstruction of West St.
While the governor and State D.O.T. may be turning a deaf ear to the public’s opposition, they seem to be listening and carefully weighing the request of Goldman Sachs to extend the northern portal of the tunnel by two blocks. If Goldman Sachs does not want the portal at their front door, why should neighborhood residents want one at theirs?
On the eve of the D.O.T.’s decision, we must all raise our voices one last time to do all we can to stop the tunnel. I urge residents to immediately flood State D.O.T. Commissioner Joseph Boardman (250 Wolf Road, Albany, N.Y. 12232) and State D.O.T. Regional Director Douglas Currey (47-40 21st St, L.I.C., N.Y. 11101) with letters in opposition to the tunnel. Tell him that Lower Manhattan certainly has a host of needs — an $860 million tunnel is not one of them.
Deborah J. Glick
Assemblymember, 66th District
Repair Deutsche
To The Editor:
I honestly feel that the Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty St. should not be demolished (news article, Feb. 4 –10, “Deutsche Plan must change, agency rules”). The study that the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. did was vague, and only talked about the mold and asbestos that was found there, but not any other dangers. Some of the things I heard from the people at the hearing over at St John’s University was that the demolition was viewed as being unprecedented and that there is a risk of the toxins spreading into the atmosphere that could affect the surrounding area and possibly head into the ventilation shaft of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel as well as heading into the subway. I find it very surprising that the Environmental Protection Agency is not leading this project, which they should. If you asked me, I find it better that the Deutsche Bank building be repaired and reopened again rather than face demolition for one of Daniel Libeskind’s ugly buildings. The debris from the Twin Towers hit all across the Financial District and Battery Park City yet most of those buildings were repaired and reopened later on. If demolition was needed, then the rest of the area should have gotten it too. Also, it’s cheaper to just repair this building then try to demolish it, and if Deutsche Bank doesn’t want to go back there, then I am sure that some other business will work there in their place.
Tal Barzilai
Pleasantville, N.Y.
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