(rshsdepot) Penn Station, NYC

["Jim Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

An editorial from the NYC Daily News...

Deliver on Penn Station

After the terrorists struck New York City, the universal resolve has been=
 to
rebuild better than before =97 and not just at Ground Zero, but across th=
e
city. They can destroy and kill. We will revive and renew.

Sen. Pat Moynihan's brainchild =97 the transformation of the James A. Far=
ley
General Post Office into a new Pennsylvania Station =97 should have been =
part
of that rebuilding. It is a truly visionary plan designed both to preserv=
e
an architectural gem (and the memory of one lost) and address the
transportation needs of a 21st century city.

But the Postal Service has just withdrawn from the project, using the Wor=
ld
Trade Center disaster as its excuse.

The Post Office deserves credit for its response to the catastrophe. It h=
as
kept the mail moving and figured out how to deal with the displacement of
thousands of residents and businesses. It also has lost its Church St.
station and is using the Farley building to handle additional mail. But n=
one
of this is reason to delay the new Penn Station. There are other faciliti=
es
that can replace Church St.

It is critical to move forward with Penn Station. The White House, Congre=
ss,
Gov. Pataki and Mayor Giuliani are committed. Hundreds of millions of
dollars have been set aside by the federal, state and city governments.
Amtrak is on board. So is the Port Authority. All the pieces were in plac=
e
for a groundbreaking.

But just as everyone is rushing to New York from around the country, seek=
ing
to help the city, the Postal Service is going the other way =97 giving up=
 on
New York and its aspirations. What the city needs are building and
construction and jobs and the confidence gained from a monumental project
like a magnificent new Penn Station. A special-issue patriotic stamp is n=
ot
enough.

President Bush is in town again today. He ought to take a look at the Far=
ley
building. And when he gets back to Washington, he can tell the Postal
Service to reconsider its rash decision and put the Penn Station project
back on track.

------------------------------