Archives

Links

Questions? Please contact moynihanstation@rpa.org.
For media inquiries, please contact Neysa Pranger
This effort is made possible by the generous support of the Leon Levy Foundation

« Newsday editorial: Get Moynihan Station back on track | Main | State releases first picture of what Moynihan East might look like »

Gov. Spitzer is "dedicated to making it happen"

Juliette Michaelson on March 3, 2008 |

gov spitzer on NBC.jpgIn a recent interview on NBC, Governor Spitzer describes his dedication to Moynihan Station. We are delighted to see that the Governor is getting personally involved in negotiations with the Venture and Madison Square Garden, and hope that he will help to negotiate a final deal that benefits the public and satisfies all government and private entities involved.

The video can be seen here, and the transcript found here. The transcript is also included below.

PRESSMAN: Governor, we're facing tough times economically. Is the future project--the project called Moynihan Station, that is rebuilding Penn Station using the Farley Post Office between Eighth and Ninth Avenues as a nucleus of this, is it in jeopardy because of the economic situation?

Gov. SPITZER: Well, let me state it this way, first, so people understand, what we want to do, the structure that we're hoping to create is one that would permit us to rebuild Penn Station. I think most of us who use Penn Station either for LIRR or for Amtrak, New Jersey Transit would agree it is not the entry point to New York City that we should have. It sort of has a down emotional effect on people when they enter through Penn Station. We want to rebuild Penn Station.


PRESSMAN: I remember how emotional Senator Moynihan was when he first described this vision of his...

Gov. SPITZER: Right, right.

PRESSMAN: ...to me. He said, you know, that we had destroyed a landmark.

Gov. SPITZER: Right.

PRESSMAN: We had destroyed the old Penn Station structure.

Gov. SPITZER: Right, right. And we want to rebuild it so that it'll be magnificent, more iconic. We want to move Madison Square Garden, so that there's a new Garden. We can build a few million square feet of commercial space, which we need. And all of this is a jigsaw puzzle that has to fit together.

It is made a bit more difficult by the current economic circumstances where, obviously, the credit markets are difficult, but it's a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. We need to work with private developers, the owners of the Garden, several transportation networks. The city and the state are willing to put in a significant amount of capital. We're working very hard. Mayor Bloomberg and I, together, on one side, transportation agencies on another, private developers on the third. We have to make this happen for it to come to fruition. It would be a fitting and appropriate landmark to be named after one of, I think, our great government elected officials in the history of the United States, Pat Moynihan, who was an intellectual. He was--he was also clever. He was witty, he took the long view. This would be the right way to remember him.

It is not easy to make it happen, but I just want folks to know I am dedicated to making it happen. The mayor is dedicated to making it happen. The folks, Steve Roth--Steve Roth, the private developers who control some of the real estate are dedicated to making it happen. And the owners of the Garden are working with us. It's not easy, but we want to make it happen.

PRESSMAN: But they seem to be a little lukewarm right now, the owners of the Garden.

Gov. SPITZER: Well, you know, this is one of those--any business transaction is one where people are hesitant until it fits together. When it fits together, suddenly it crystalizes.

PRESSMAN: Charles Bagli in The Times wrote that it's endanger of collapse, the whole project.

Gov. SPITZER: Well, I think that's an overstatement, certainly. It is difficult to make the pieces fit, but we're going to work very hard. If you think about the future, think about the 20 year, 30 year time horizon that we care about, it is essential that we rebuild Penn Station. We need a new Madison Square Garden. We need more commercial space. All of this fits together the right way. There's enormous value created when we do it as currently envisioned. We should be able to finance it. We should be able to get the pieces in order. We're working on it.

PRESSMAN: Your pledge is that it will be built.

Gov. SPITZER: Well, I don't want to pledge that it will be built. That sounds a little...

PRESSMAN: Pretentious.

Gov. SPITZER: ...certain and pretentious. I will pledge that we're working very hard to get it built and that, as I said, we will lead by example in terms of dedicating state capital to get there, in terms of rebuilding a Penn Station that clearly isn't adequate, just as we're rebuilding our major infrastructure throughout the city and the state. We're dedicated to this. Just a couple of days ago I spent hours meeting with the right parties and the people who are involved. You can't pledge an outcome. We can pledge hard work, and that's what I've done.