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Big new delays loom at site of Ground Zero museum over $156 million construction bill

Long-promised Sept. 2012 opening likely to be scrapped
BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 21 2011, 5:31 PM



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...#ixzz1eRj0x4lV

Major new delays are looming at the heart-stopping underground museum at Ground Zero because of an ugly $156 million battle pitting the Port Authority against the National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum.

Long-promised plans to open the museum on Sept. 11, 2012 in time for the 11th anniversary of the terror attacks are now expected to be scrapped — and its debut could be pushed back to 2013 or later, sources familiar with the feud say.

Mayor Bloomberg, however, was optimistic that the two sides would reach an agreement in time for the scheduled opening.

“I think we’ll work things out,” the mayor said Monday. “I hope so.”

PHOTOS: SEPT. 11 MEMORIAL OPENS FOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY

At stake is the future of the sacred subterranean site that will memorialize nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11 — and tell the tale of 102 minutes of hell and the heroic recovery efforts that followed with smashed fire engines, steel I-beams and other iconic artifacts.

The long-simmering spat between the PA and the Memorial over who pays for what — first revealed by the Daily News on Aug. 5 — is now triggering delays because the Authority has stopped approving new construction contracts for the museum.

Agency brass held off on nixing the contracts until after the Memorial bowed on the 10th anniversary of the attacks — and then later in September, it exercised what one official branded the “nuclear option.”

The PA, which is building the museum, is demanding a $156 million payment from the Memorial to cover its “fair share” of construction costs, including overruns at the $850 million project.

Nonsense, the Memorial says. It has been refusing to fork over a dime and claims it’s being unfairly dunned for money it doesn’t owe and doesn’t have.

Not only that, the Memorial has been quietly preparing a claim of up to $130 million against the PA, saying agency delays and mismanagement forced it to open in the middle of a construction site with unfinished streets and sidewalks, sources close to the project say.

“We are working with the leadership of the Port Authority to come to an immediate resolution that allows this historic project to move forward,” said Memorial spokesman Michael Frazier.

“Work is continuing, and we are working cooperatively with New York City and the 9/11 Memorial on this issue,” said Port Authority spokesman



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