RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Lady Liberty will reopen

Lady Liberty will reopen

You can almost see the twinkle in the lady's eye.
Federal officials revealed yesterday that the Statue of Liberty, which has been shuttered for more than two years, is about to reopen to the public.

And generous New Yorkers, including Daily News readers who donated thousands of dollars to a campaign to beef up security at the landmark, deserve the thanks.

"Let me say, candidly, the reopening of the statue is really imminent," National Parks Service deputy director Don Murphy told a congressional hearing.

"The plan is in the secretary's office. They're working on it almost as we speak, and we're going to be making an announcement in that regard sometime soon."

Interior Department spokesman John Wright said an exact date for letting visitors back into the base of the statue is yet to be set.

But news that enough money has been raised to allow sightseers back in very soon was applauded by New Yorkers and tourists who want the symbol restored to glory.

"It will be excellent!" said London vacationer Richard Wheeler, 31. "We'll finally be able to have access to one of the wonders of the world. The Statue of Liberty is everything that is New York."

"This is New York coming back," said Ritesh Gandhi, 29, of Bombay.

While the grounds of Liberty Island have remained open, the inside of the statue has been off limits since the Sept.11 terror attacks.

The feds said they needed millions to pay for an extra emergency exit, upgraded fire systems and other safety measures.

Mayor Bloomberg kicked off a fund-raising effort last November. The Daily News gave it a boost with a $100,000 contribution and a front-page appeal that raised $60,000 from readers.

As of yesterday, the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation had collected $5.9million of the $7 million needed to complete the work.

"We've all been working very hard. The money is in place and plans are in place to do the work," said foundation spokeswoman Peg Zitko.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said the credit goes to companies and individuals who dug into their pockets for the needed funds.

"After more than two years of federal delays, the Lady Liberty is finally set to open, thanks to generous private contributions and to the Daily News for making this a big-time city issue," she said.

And even though the base will reopen, the crown likely will stay off-limits, because it would be difficult to evacuate people from the top.

When the doors are unlocked, it will come too late for Nate Grochowski, 20, a University of Wisconsin student who boarded the ferry to Liberty Island last evening.

But he still cheered the news.

"There is strength in there. It's a monument to freedom," he said. "I wish they would have opened it earlier. It would prove we are not afraid."

Hope it's open when I'm in NY in June.

Statue of liberty = French!

yes but just like everything else, they surrendered it!

You fools! Don't you realize that it is a statue and was never meant to be climb into?

Statue of Liberty Access to Be Relaxed

By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Access to the Statue of Liberty, which has been closed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, will be relaxed beginning this summer, although tourists will still not be allowed inside the statue itself.

Pledges of $7 million in donations, including a $100,000 gift from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will finance upgrades that were necessary before the monument could be reopened.

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton said Tuesday that the observation deck on the statue's pedestal will be reopened sometime in late July.

Currently, tourists can visit Liberty Island but are not allowed inside the 151-foot statue or its pedestal.

"This impressive monument has always been a beacon for our shores," said Norton. "Unfortunately, she has also been a symbol to the darker forces of terrorism before and after September 11."

Bloomberg, who joined Norton at a news conference on the island, said he was "proud to have played such a small role" in getting the statue more available to the public.

Norton said an examination of the 118-year-old national monument in New York Harbor revealed potential fire problems and a lack of exits. Security screening procedures, much like those at airports, will be implemented along with a reservation system to reduce long lines.

After the upgrades are completed, the public will be allowed to enjoy the panoramic view from the observation deck at the top of the pedestal, about 16 stories above ground. They will no longer be allowed into the crown, reached via narrow and winding stairs, because it cannot accommodate large numbers of tourists and does not meet local fire, building or safety codes.

The island was closed for 100 days after Sept. 11, 2001. Airport-type metal detectors were installed to screen visitors boarding the ferry from lower Manhattan, and the island was reopened in December 2001. But the statue itself has remained closed.

Since the terrorist attacks, officials have said the number of visitors to Liberty Island has dropped by 40 percent. Still, more than 4 million people have visited since then.

The upgrade project is being overseen by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. The statue had undergone a major restoration for its 100th birthday in 1986.