Housing, rails and no tunnel
To The Editor:
The title to the otherwise excellent piece by Josh Rogers in last week’s Downtown Express (news article, April 16 –22, “How to spend Downtown’s last billion”) falsely implies that we are in fact down to our “last” one billion dollars of federal 9/11 redevelopment funds. The truth, however, is that Governor Pataki has squirreled away yet another one billion dollars of 9/11 funds for his West St. tunnel scheme. If the tunnel is not built, then Downtown will not have to make the difficult choice between a J.F.K. airport link and thousands of units of new affordable housing. We will have the money to do both.
John Dellaportas
Cairo connection
To The Editor:
It gives me much pleasure to write to you. I am the Egyptian who “proposed a gigantic question mark at a Twin Tower footprint to symbolize questions like ‘who did that?’ “ as you wrote in your kindly essay about the World Trade Center memorial competition (news article, Feb. 20 –26, ”5,201 memorial ideas released – Selected plan criticized by L.M.D.C. member”). I just want to thank you for your effort to present our designs.
Ahmed Kamel Almrazky
Ahmed Kamel Almrazky, an architect based in Egypt, is currently studying for a Masters in Environmental Islamic Architecture at Cairo University. His World Trade Center memorial design is available at www.wtcsitememorial.org and at www.akalmrazky.4t.com.
Bloomie blooper
To The Editor:
Even before their grand opening, Bloomingdale’s is proving to be a bad Soho neighbor. For two weeks they have chalked advertising signs all over our sidewalks advertising their April 24th opening date and have plastered buildings with “self-stick” posters.
Some of didn’t want them here in the first place, and now we surely don’t; being obnoxious doesn’t win hearts and customers among the residents and local businesses.
Bonnie Lynn
Editor’s Note: Anne Keating, a Bloomingdale’s spokesperson, told Downtown Express that as soon as they heard neighborhood complaints about the chalk and posters, store employees had them removed.
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