There was a time when I thought the day would never come that I would be able to give my daughter the same opportunity my parents gave to me during our first trip to New York City nearly 30 years ago—the chance to view one the most populated places on Earth from the Statue of Liberty’s iconic headpiece.
According to the documents released by a New York congressman on the Fourth of July, the National Park Service is considering reopening Lady Liberty’s crown for the first time since the September 11th terrorist attacks.
U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner says the park service requested bids last month to study what it would take to safely open the Statue of Liberty’s headpiece to the public. Since the devastating terrorist attacks that rocked the country in 2001 the park service has slowly been reopening various parts of the legendary landmark.
Immediately after the attacks Liberty Island was closed to the public. Three years (and $20 million spent to enhance fire safety) later the statue’s base, pedestal and lower observation deck reopened. Still, the Statute of Liberty’s crown and its interior observation deck, which soar about 265 feet above New York Harbor, remain closed because the Park Service maintains that there is no way to safely evacuate huge numbers of tourist during an emergency, especially since the narrow spiral staircase that leads up to Lady Liberty’s crown doesn’t comply with fire and building codes. Those who make the trip to the majestic statue these days are limited to taking in views from her 154-foot-tall pedestal.
Lawmakers fighting to reopen the crown level observation deck argue that doing so will help the city’s economy. Studies show that since the crown closed, the number of visitors to Lady Liberty has dropped 44%, from 3.6 million in 2000 to 2.5 million in 2006.
Meanwhile, those who oppose reopening the crown note that the staircase to the observation deck was installed for maintenance workers, not for sightseers. Officials from the Park Service say when the upper observation deck was open, rangers responded to emergencies almost daily, especially during the summer months. Workers manning Lady Liberty say scores of visitors suffered heat exhaustion, shortness of breath, panic attacks, and claustrophobia while making their way to the top.
What’s more, a Park Service spokesperson says, “The statue’s designer, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, never intended visitors to ascend to the crown.”
Still, the Park Service has designed a survey and sent it to nearly 800 security firms, asking them to prepare plans that address whether the statue can be updated to meet fire safety codes, and, if not, how the service can minimize safety risks there. Weiner says the plans would be finalized by January 2009.
The crown is the only National Park Service site that hasn’t reopened since the 9/11 attacks.
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