NEW YORK, NY October 25, 2005 —For four years the public debate over the fate of the World Trade Center site has been over abstract concepts and designs. With little tangible progress Mayor Bloomberg has tried to jump start the stalled redevelopment effort by weighing in with a greater sense of urgency. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has this update.

REPORTER: So far the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site can be summed up by a regular NYC rant--it's always something. This week an impatient Mayor Bloomberg challenged the parties involved to get moving. His vision for the site--a mixed use concept which adds housing to the commercial plans in place. He didn't shy away from naming names-- including developer Larry Silverstein.

BLOOMBERG: The more people down there the easier it would be for Larry Silverstein. I hope that Larry Silverstein rents his building and makes a lot of money. That is in eveybody's interest here. I just want to make sure that we are developing those properties on the eastern side of the site right now when we need them and we are not restricted to just commercial space.

REPORTER: The Mayor specifically went through all the different World Trade building addresses posing potential uses for each.

BLOOMBERG: You can have have mixed use. Five for example I think will wind up being residential. Five is the existing Deutsche bank site.

REPORTER: But before anything can go up at that site a 42 story contaminated office building has to come down in one of the most complicated deconstruction projects in history. The toxic building contains asbestos, metals and other hazerdous materials. The Lower Manhattan Developmnt Corporation paid over $90 million for the building after it was made unusable when the Twin Towers collapsed.

At last night's LMDC's public briefing session on the deconstruction, there was not an empty seat to be had. LMDC Vice President Michael Haberman, Vice President for Community Development set the ground rules for public participation but quickly lost control of the room as the audience made up mostly of neighborhood residents errupted.

CROWD: You'll have the opportunity to ask all the questions you want to ask at the tables! Why are you censoring the victims! Why do you get to pick the questions we ask!

REPORTER: Dozens of activists removed blue painters tape they had put over their mouths to protest the way the LMDC has set up the public participation.

Robert Gullack a shop steward for some of the federal workers who work downtown was one of the more forceful.

GULLACK: Why is it your job to the ask the people who live here how and when they can answer their questions.

REPORTER: Local residents are concerned that not enough care being taken with the site's environmental remediation. They are demanding that the EPA be the lead agency. And they're angry that one of the firms on the job, Safeway Environmental is currently under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The firm was also sited by the City for violations related to a Supermarket wall collapse in Manhattan this summer. Safeway did not return calls for comment.

Julie Menin, chairperson of Community Board Number one says despite EPA's history downtown they remain the most qualified agency to run the show.

MENIN: We have had a very diffcult road with EPA. They have had a very poor track record in our community with not being forth coming. And with this type of building that is the most contaminated building in the city it is vitally important that we make sure that EPA have responsibility and also that we make sure LMDC listens to the community and listens to their concerns.

REPORTER: EPA did not return calls for comment. The LMDC says it is taking every precaution at the site and has updated the community board at monthly meetings. Actual deconstruction is planned to begin in early 2006 and will take a year.