Port Authority Board to Tighten WTC Leash

The governing board of the Port Authority will increase its oversight of World Trade Center development, as board chairman Anthony Coscia is calling for new monthly meetings devoted to monitoring progress at the site.

Based on a memo he sent to the other board members today, the meetings will allow for monthly updates on cost and schedules, drawing a sharp contrast with years past (the first revision of dates and cost since 2006 is slated to be delivered in September).

The new meetings, to be held near the site, "will create an opportunity for the Board to give staff more policy direction regarding the rebuilding effort," Mr. Coscia wrote.

More from the memo:

[B]eginning in September, the Board will hold special monthly meetings near the WTC site, in addition to its regularly scheduled monthly meetings, to consider issues regarding the WTC rebuilding effort. At each special meeting, the Board will discuss status reports from the Executive Director on WTC construction timelines and the Chief Financial Officer on WTC budget issues (the status reports will be sent to the Board in advance of the special meeting) and will consider WTC-related action items, including but not limited to construction contracts requiring Board authorization.

The special meetings will create an opportunity for the Board to give staff more policy direction regarding the rebuilding effort, provide an additional layer of Board oversight, and ensure that the Board is able to take action on WTC-related items at a pace consistent with the desire for an accelerated construction schedule. They will also provide a forum in which Commissioners may focus solely on WTC issues, without having to consider the broad variety of other topics typically raised at a regular monthly meeting. Finally, the special meetings will enhance the transparency of Board's decision-making as it relates to the agency's role in the rebuilding process.