Lower Manhattan Public Information (Edelman)

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

• Decide upon enforcement efforts and document them. (Promotion of this must be balanced with desire not to discourage business and investment in the area.) (Discuss with HPD as well.) • Determine who (OEM? A doctor? A press person?) should be the public face of the task force. • Recommend legislative initiatives, if necessary. • Hire consultant to act as an ombudsman/advocate for the public with the City, attend community board meetings, assist the community in interpreting data, etc. The City had Lehman Associates do this on the lead paint issue, and it worked well. • Hire environmental consultant to go test people’s homes/businesses, if landlords are not doing so properly. • Make available a list of certified or approved cleaning contractors. • Promote the efforts the City has already undertaken. There has been an extraordinary level of cooperation between many governmental entities throughout this process. • Produce pamphlets, maps, graphics to showcase the City’s efforts. • Refute EPA scientist’s assertion that air quality is a problem (see Current EPA Response on p.3). Aning-Asking a blue ribbon panel of health experts (from NYU, Mount Sinai) to look 1 at data and comment on it and on the City’s efforts. • Work (cautiously) with EPA on an indoor air quality task force. I Funding Options • EPA sent Senator Clinton a memo indicating that $ was available to assist with recovery/cleanup efforts (Bob Avaltroni has a copy - get more info) • approach Virginia Fields, Jerry Nadler, Alan Gerson and other members of the "Ground Zero" Task Force to contribute funds to the retaining of an independent environmental consultant to address constituent concerns at Ground Zero. The City used this model for the lead paint abatement project, and it proved successful on several different levels: 1. All elected officials had a stake - a real stake - in the initiative's success; 2. Those who were simply interested in grandstanding frequently "dropped out of the race" once they learned they had to contribute hard funds; 3. It enhanced the perception that this wasn't simply another outreach project by the Administration, but a bi-partisan effort to address a serious health concern: 4. It saved the City money by tapping into funds that had already been allocated, but weren't being used by the Borough Presidents' offices, etc; 5. OEM recalls that the City contributed 20% of the consultant's $500,000 fee, with the BP's and other groups contributing 10% each.

• FEMA reimbursement? • Lower Manhattan Development Corp funds? • Available City funds?

Subgroups for specific issues For specific issues, there could be task force subgroups to recommend approaches and develop procedures on issues of air quality/environmental/health, utilities/street closures, etc. as necessary

NYC-WTC_000151032