By JOSH MARGOLIN Original article here on NY Post

Last Updated: 11:29 AM, September 6, 2011

Posted: 1:28 AM, September 6, 2011

Deep in the bowels of the most closely watched construction site in the nation there is a phrase that is forbidden: Ground Zero.

Those words describe a lifeless pit filled with rubble and despair. What steel worker Earmon Maguire is working on is a living, breathing monument of hope, the colossal construction of a brand new day.

Here, columns of glass and metal rise at all hours. Concrete is being poured in every corner. Each rivet that is fastened, each tile that is polished is a source of special pride

“A neighbor of mine died in 9/11,” said Maguire, 27, of Brooklyn. “A lot of guys in the neighborhood died. People around the neighborhood know that I’m working here, rebuilding.”

Maguire is one of nearly 3,200 workers at the colossal construction site, each pulling 10-hour shifts six, sometimes seven, days a week. At night, the population drops to double or triple digits, but the work does not stop.

It can’t.

Most days, master welder Richard Alexander Graham can be found lighting his torch in the hot and sticky tunnels of the World Trade Center’s new transportation hub.

Like so many hardhats here, Graham was dispatched to the site a decade ago to help clear rubble left when the Twin Towers were destroyed.

“I came down here the first day,” Graham said as the sweat dripped under the leather smock he wears to shield him from the sparks. “I’m so proud about it, man.”

There is one important rule for construction workers on the site: Finish the job.

The cleanup after the attacks took nine months alone. But instead of office buildings, delays and costs were the only things rising. Then, after years of planning, false starts and disagreements, above-ground rebuilding began in April 2006.

Workers have completed Tower 7 and a memorial to 9/11 victims. Below, construction is moving along on the museum.

The project’s crown jewel, 1 World Trade Center, has risen to 80 stories, with 3.1 million square feet of office space already built.

Eleven subway lines plus the PATH train pass near the site.

“It’s the most iconic, the most important piece of construction ever done,” says Port Authority Chairman David Samson.

One of the perks of working construction on the most important project is the view from its main attraction.

Center step off the construction elevator at the 64th-floor sky lobby and are thrown back in time: The sun is setting over New Jersey, the Empire State Building rises in the distance and the Statue of Liberty is keeping watch over the harbor.

It’s a vantage point that evaporated on 9/11 and hasn’t been seen for 10 years.

Another nice bonus is the gig itself. The rats that scurry underground and the loneliness that settles in on the night shift are offset by steady, good-paying work in a bad economy.

“A year ago, I was working for my brother, but his business went down,” said Stephen Lee, 53, of Smithtown, LI, who also worked the pile after 9/11. “I was delighted to come here. I think all the 9/11 stuff is overdone already, but I’m lucky. This is probably the biggest job that I’ll ever be on in the city.”

josh.margolin@nypost.com

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At urging of Senator Chuck Schumer the US Navy has agreed to bring the USS New York LPD-21 to New York City from its home port of Norfolk Virginia. The Senator said that the ships presence in New York Harbor would be of great significance to those who lost loved ones. USS New York will anchor in close proximity to Ground Zero for the Ceremony. Details have not been announced as to if and where New York will dock or wether there will be any public visitation during this visit. We sincerely want to thank Senator Schumer for his efforts and look forward to seeing her in the harbor.

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For Immediate Release | October 15, 2009

NAVY ANNOUNCES WELCOME SALUTE AND PUBLIC VISITATION FOR FUTURE USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) DURING COMMISSIONING WEEK EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY

NEW YORK, OCT 15 – The future USS NEW YORK (LPD 21), built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in her bow, will be commissioned in New York City on November 7, 2009.  The ship will actually arrive on November 2, when the public can welcome her as she renders honors at the World Trade Center site, and by visiting the ship before she leaves on November 12, 2009.

At approximately 8:00 a.m., on November 2, the future USS NEW YORK will come to a standstill across from the World Trade Center site, dip her flag, and deliver a 21-gun salute.  Members of the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department, Port Authority Police, members of the families of 9/11 victims and veteran’s will gather on the shore at the North Cove in the World Financial Center to return the salute.  Members of the general public are encouraged to attend

There will also be several opportunities for the general public to tour the ship when she is docked at Pier 88 at 12^th Avenue and West 48 Street.  The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, November 4 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 5 – 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 8 – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Monday, November 9 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 10 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 11 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Note that times and dates are subject to change.
Visit www.ussny.org for the latest schedule

Members of the general public wishing to tour the ship should:

- arrive early as lines my be long, especially on the Sunday, Nov. 8.

- enter at West 46^th Street and 12^th Avenue (by the Intrepid).

- bring a photo ID (adults).

- wear comfortable shoes.

No large packages or backpacks will be permitted.

“It is an honor to be associated with the ship.  We are all looking forward to sailing her to New York City for Commissioning,” Commanding Officer F. Curt Jones said.  “I have members of my crew that joined the Navy as a direct result of 9/11. I have crew members that have lost family members on 9/11. I have met numerous people as a result of being associated with the ship that lost family, friends…so we know that the steel that is part of the ship represents in some fashion those people. It represents loss but for us it also represents hope and we keep both of those things close to us,” he added.

Download the SPMAGTF-26 PDF

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