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AGGRESSIVE SURREALISM IMMERSES & ENGAGES,
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VOLUME 24, NUMBER 24
THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN
Ward discusses Port’s past, present and future BY ALINE REYNOLDS The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Executive Director, Chris Ward, who has been widely praised for expediting the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, will be stepping down from his job next week and staying on as an advisor until the end of the year. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last week that he will be replacing Ward with the governor’s own deputy secretary, Patrick Foye, who will take the helm on Nov. 1. The Downtown Express sat down with Ward last week and asked about his departure, his accomplishments and regrets at the Port Authority, and his opinions on the future of Downtown. DE: You’ve been credited with stepping in and transforming a paralyzed construction site at the World Trade Center. On a local level, Community Board 1 recently passed a resolution asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to keep you on as executive director. Why are you leaving? Was it your decision? WARD: The Governor gave me the opportunity to complete perhaps the most important milestone, which was the completion of the [9/11] Memorial plaza. I’m grateful for him giving me that opportunity. Having done it, I think there’s a natural break in where we are now with the project. Any governor is going to want to have a relationship with the executive direcContinued on page 16
Downtown Express photo by John Bayles
Chris Ward pointed at two areial photos hanging in his office when asked about his most significant achievement as chief of the Port Authority. The top photo shows the W.T.C. site in 2007 and below it, is a photo taken three years later.
OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2011
C.B. 1 passes O.W.S. reso, enforcement issues remain BY CYNTHIA MAGNUS While Community Board 1 passed a resolution at its full board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25 that called on Occupy Wall Street, elected officials, and other stakeholders to address quality of life issues related to Zuccotti Park, the question remains as to how the ‘good neighbor policy’ will be enforced. C.B. 1 Chair Julie Menin said, “What is important about the resolution is that it combines two relevant elements – the First Amendment, and quality of life for residents and small businesses.” The meeting was the culmination, at least on the C.B. 1 level of weeks of meetings with O.W.S. members. Three board members did not vote in favor of the resolution and other community members expressed concern over O.W.S. being able to control the different factions that are now occupying the park as the demonstration
enters its fifth week. Following an earlier committee presentation of the resolution that was first passed on Oct. 20, C.B. 1 Vice-chair Catherine McVay-Hughes said, “Finally there was an opportunity for community residents and small business owners to attend a public meeting to have their serious concerns regarding public safety, sanitation, health, and noise heard.” The issue of the drumming at Zuccotti Park that has disturbed many neighbors remains a nebulous one, as part of the “good neighbor policy” that is supposed to address issues of sanitation, health, and safety. Han Shan, a member of the O.W.S. community relations group who spoke for O.W.S. at the Oct. 20 meeting, said, “I’m not making a promise,” but said the drummer’s group was working on a proposal to limit hours. O.W.S. protester Ashley Love told board members,
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