Spite at museum
9/11 kin call delays a ‘betrayal,’ slam PA & govs
ALBANY — The frustrated relatives of more than 200 victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks blasted the delayed Ground Zero museum as a “betrayal” to their loved ones’ legacy.
Family members aligned with Mayor Bloomberg sent Gov. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a scathing letter Wednesday, accusing them of stalling the project.
They blamed construction delays on the Port Authority, which the governors control — and claimed the agency even diverted money for the museum to other projects.
“The Port Authority’s conduct is a betrayal of those who died on 9/11,” the letter said. “It is a betrayal of the thousands who risked everything to honor them, and it is a betrayal of the growing number of children for whom ‘9/11’ is not a firsthand memory.”
The letter demands the two governors restart construction and “finish the job.”
While attacking Cuomo, Christie and the Port Authority, the families praised the foundation headed by Bloomberg for having raised more than $435 million in private donations — and meet- ing all its contractual obligations.
The foundation, the letter states, “has diligently worked in good faith to fulfill its dual obligations to the memory of our loved ones and to the public trust.”
Debra Burlingame, who lost her brother in the attacks and is on the board of the memorial and museum, said neither the mayor nor the foundation pushed for the letter.
“We did this completely independently,” Burlingame said. “We want these two governors to stand up and show some leadership and make
this (project) hap- pen.”
She said a host of family members have grown frustrated as almost all the work on the museum, which will not open this September as planned, has ground to a halt as a result of a $157 million funding dispute between the Port Authority, which owns the site, and the foundation.
Cuomo has said the gap could be as high as $300 million.
The Daily News recently reported that the cost of the memorial and museum could skyrocket to $1.46 billion — more than twice the initial $680 million projection.
Reps for Cuomo and Bloomberg had no comment.