Joe Daniels, president and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, has been counting the days until the museum opens. As he stood before Community Board 1's full-board meeting on March 25, he knew that he had 51 days before the curtain rises.

"All of us who work at the 9/11 Museum understand that the eyes of the world will, once again, be turned toward the World Trade Center," he said.

The opening to the public on May 21 will be preceded by what he termed, "a truly historic dedication period," when the museum will be open 24 hours a day in tribute to the people who worked around the clock following the attack that destroyed the Twin Towers.

During that dedication period the museum will be free to family members of those killed, rescue and recovery workers, active duty first responders from agencies that lost members in the 9/11 attacks, survivors of the attacks and current lower Manhattan residents or business owners, or those who were residents or business owners of lower Manhattan during the 9/11 attacks, living or working below Canal Street.

Reservations became available starting on March 26. (For reservations during the dedication period, click here.)

Daniels said that the museum's entrance pavilion and 165-seat auditorium have been completed. "There will be extensive public programming," he said. 

 

When the museum opens to the public, the entrance fee will be $24, but it will be free on Tuesday evenings between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. In addition, Daniels said, the museum will "explore the possibility" of having free evenings from time to time for the lower Manhattan community.   

 

He expects that approximately two million people a year will visit the museum, and that each visit will last around two hours.  

 

On May 21, when the museum opens to the public, Cond� Nast, the publishing and media company that will be moving into 1 World Trade Center, will pay the admission fee for the approximately 5,000 people who are expected to visit that day.  

 

Advance reservations for museum tickets can now be booked by clicking here.   

 

Concurrent with the opening of the museum, portions of the fence surrounding the memorial will come down so that it will no longer be necessary to have a timed ticket to see the pools where the Twin Towers once stood and the plaza surrounding them. 

 

Thanks and good-bye: Community Board 1 said good-bye at its full-board meeting on March 25 to three of its members. Among other contributions to the community board, Ruth Ohman served on the board from 2007 to 2014. She was co-chair of the Housing Committee and helped with the production of CB1's seniors guide. She will continue to be a public member. Paul Viggiano was a member of Community Board 1 from 2008 to 2014 and was co-chair of the Seaport/Civic Center Committee. Mark Costello was on the Community Board from 2007 to 2014, serving on the Tribeca and Youth and Education Committees and on the Battery Park City Community Center Task Force. The activities and credentials of all of these people extended well beyond their community board work. Catherine McVay Hughes, chairperson of Community Board 1, thanked all of them for their service.

Save 67 Vestry St.: Numerous residents and neighbors of 67 Vestry St., a nine-story, Romanesque brick warehouse in Tribeca, turned out to urge the Community Board to pass a resolution to protect the massive warehouse from being torn down. The building, dating from 1897, was erected for the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (more commonly known as "A&P.") It is just outside of the North Tribeca Historic District, whose boundaries were established in 1992. A developer has filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings to place an 11-story building on this site. Though 67 Vestry has not been well maintained, it is of historical and cultural significance. It has been home and studio to many internationally recognized artists. CB1 recommended that it be evaluated for landmark status or that the boundary of the North Tribeca Historic District be redrawn to include this building. In the meantime, with the threat of demolition imminent, those who want to save it have created a website (weare67Vestry.com) and launched a petition.

News from the electeds: Every Community Board 1 meeting begins with a presentation from representatives of the elected officials who represent lower Manhattan. Yume Kitasei, director of budget and legislation for City Councilmember Margaret Chin, said that a bill sponsored by Chin expanding the right to paid sick leave has now been signed into law. The law will take effect on April 1 and will apply to all businesses with five or more employees. Celine Mizrahi, speaking for U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, said that Nadler continues to try to find a solution for the noise and safety issues created by low-flying helicopters. At a Federal Aviation Administration helicopter symposium on March 24, Nadler indicted the FAA for having dragged its feet on this problem for the last 10 years. "We must find a solution now," he said. During the Bloomberg Administration, the City balked at banning the helicopters because they allegedly bring in $50 million a year in tourist dollars and because Bloomberg is, himself, a helicopter pilot. The FAA symposium ended with plans to convene a technical meeting with stakeholders, including New Jersey representatives. Paul Goldstein, speaking for New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, said Silver's budget proposal in Albany would increase education funding by $4 billion over the next four years. Funds for universal pre-K and after-school programs would be raised by imposing a personal income tax surcharge on those earning more than $500,000 a year. Some of the education money would also go to address severe classroom overcrowding in lower Manhattan and throughout the city.