Massive Construction and City's Man in the Middle

 by Carl Glassman



Charles J. Maikish has his work cut out for him.

He is the man recently picked by Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg to oversee the myriad construction projects slated to begin soon in Lower Manhattan. It is up to him, in other words, to head off the fearsome noise, pollution, traffic and other problems that many people Downtown see coming their way.

Charles Maikish speaking last month at a meeting of Community Board 1. Photo: Carl Glassman

With so many simultaneous projects about to start-from Edward Minskoff's residential complex across the street from P.S. 234 to the new Fulton Transit Center to the Freedom Tower to the deconstruction of the former Deutsche Bank building-the challenge is formidable.

Maikish, 57, a former Port Authority official who was in charge of reconstruction work at the World Trade Center after the 1993 bombing, appeared last month before a committee of Community Board 1 to offer a glimpse of how he plans to handle his job.

"What we don't want to do is create a scenario where people believe that there is a big 'Under Construction' sign over all of Lower Manhattan," he said.

Maikish, who was well-received by board members, said the key to avoiding major problems will be quick communication among the many city agencies, construction companies, utilities, and community representatives involved in the projects. This month he expects to establish a command center modeled after the "brain room" he set up in 1993 to coordinate construction work at the trade center, where representatives from city agencies and contractors worked together.

"If there was a conflict they could walk across the room and talk to an individual," he said. "It wasn't getting somebody on voice mail or waiting for someone to respond to an e-mail."

At the new Downtown command center, Maikish said, key city agencies, like the Transportation and Buildings Departments, will respond to problems "at a moment's notice" because their commissioners are to report directly to his city operations director, appointed by the mayor.

The biggest challenge, he said, will be moving men and materials in and out of Lower Manhattan. At the height of the work, he estimated, up to 6,000 construction workers will be coming Downtown.

"They're not going to drive," he promised. "We cannot accommodate them parking. We're going to meet with organized labor and tell them that."

Maikish said he could not speculate on how another massive project would fit into the construction mix: the hotly contested West Street tunnel project, should it go forward.

"It's the biggest wild card," he said.

Maikish acknowledged the burden that will be shouldered by Downtown residents and businesses in the coming years. But he tried to sound a hopeful note. "Keep in mind the community and the environment that we will have at the end of this," he said. "It really is well worth the effort."