Officials Reach Agreement to Complete 9/11 Museum - East Idaho News
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Officials Reach Agreement to Complete 9/11 Museum

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Getty N 091111 TowerMemorial?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1347333892367David Handschuh-Pool/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Port Authority and The National September 11 Memorial Museum have reached an agreement to continue construction on the museum after months of delays.

The deal between the Port Authority and the museum ensures construction will be restarted soon and will continue until the museum is completed.  

“Today’s agreement puts in place a critical and long overdue safeguard to finally protect toll payers and taxpayers from bearing further costs, and, at the same time, put the project on a path for completion,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted his favor for the announcement: “@NYCMayorsOffice: Very gratifying that on the eve of this important anniversary we have an agreement that will ensure the completion of the 9/11 Museum.”

Construction has been halted since last December, when a dispute over which agencies would finance the museum’s construction broke out between the museum and the Port Authority, which owns the land. The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey is under the shared jurisdiction of Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Mayor Bloomberg oversees the Sept. 11 foundation behind the memorial and museum, according to the New York Times.

The Times reports that, under the terms of the agreement, the Sept. 11 foundation will provide the Port Authority with financial data related to the project and will supply $12 million for the museum construction.  Another $1 million per year for 30 years will be provided from surplus funds beginning in 2018, the newspaper reports. A formal transfer of land ownership from the Port Authority to the Sept. 11 foundation will also take place.

There’s no word yet on a completion date, but construction is expected to continue beyond the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, according to the New York Daily News.

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