We’ve touched on these concerns before, but given Wall Street’s recent ups and (mostly) downs, they’re looming larger.  The main point: all construction schedules aside, tenants still need to be found for the new World Trade Center buildings.

What might fill them?  Certainly not any of the companies going bankrupt, and the many that are clinging on for dear life won’t be seeking new headquarters, either.  Better-situated corporations could just choose some other piece of property, since the real estate market has made so many spaces cheap.

Douglas Feiden gives a rundown regarding some of the more commonly mentioned names.  “Merrill Lynch has pulled out of talks to move into Tower 3, while JPMorgan Chase scaled back its building plans at the former Deutsche Bank tower site,” he writes.

However, it’s by no means certain that the Freedom Tower will be finished only so that its interior can collect dust.  Assuming the most optimistic completion date - 2011 - is actually met, that still leaves a while for the economy to recover.  And any delays will act as even more of a cushion.

Developer Larry Silverstein confirmed to Feiden, “The naysayers then and now don’t seem to understand that we are building in anticipation of future demand, not based on today’s market.”

To be honest, the possibility that this would ever occur occupied a space somewhere between “nonexistent” and “slim.”  Still, given all the design changes and delays that we’ve seen, it may be worth reporting that wind turbines will probably not be added to the Freedom Tower.

Turbines are, in theory, a nice way to capture “green” energy.  It’s easy to imagine slapping them all over a tall building, and then just sitting back and letting the electricity bill take care of itself.

The reality is a little more complicated.  Turbines aren’t weightless, and when they get hit by strong gusts of wind, the resulting movement means that any points of attachment would have to get seriously reinforced.

The cost of the turbines - and the fact that New York City isn’t the sort of place where people have to glue on their hats - must also be considered.  Aesthetics play a role, too.

So, as Ken Belson and David W. Dunlap reported, “Interviews with architects, engineers and energy experts on Wednesday suggest that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal to place wind turbines atop the city’s skyscrapers and bridges, as well as off the coastline of Queens and Brooklyn, would be complicated and expensive and barely begin to meet the growth in demand for electricity that is expected in the coming years.”

Don’t look for the idea to get much further.

A new advertising campaign is seeking out New Yorkers who have had their health affected by 9/11.  The city government has put around $5 million towards finding them through a combination of print, radio, and television messages.

Peter N. Spencer writes, “The ads . . . are aimed at potentially hundreds of thousands of workers and residents made sick by exposure to toxic dust and debris from the World Trade Center site.”  Everyone’s being encouraged to receive treatment at the WTC Environmental Health Center, which should be backed by around $108 million in federal funding.

This move has an obvious humanitarian slant; a key slogan in the advertising campaign is “Lived there?  Worked there?  You deserve care,” which is nice.

Still, in addition to helping people until the current year’s worth of federal funding runs out, the development may help secure more for the future.  According to Spencer, a response from more than 10,000 individuals might put a strain on the healthcare system, causing the federal government to give more money and dedicate itself in a long-term sense.

Mayor Bloomberg said, “I can’t stress strongly enough that New York City should not have to support these efforts single-handedly.”

There’s word today that at least one thing is running on schedule: Christopher Ward, the Port Authority’s executive director, as he works to establish accurate estimates regarding World Trade Center construction schedules and costs.  Ward’s report should be presented at the end of this month as promised.

As for what the report will say, Ward and Michael Coscia, the Port Authority’s chairman, held their cards pretty close to their chests when speaking at a commissioner’s meeting.  That’s not a great sign, and the timing of the report’s release - it seems to have been separated from 9/11 and all the attendant media coverage - isn’t too encouraging, either.

Still, there are reasons to be optimistic.  Rudy Larini reports, “Ward and Port Authority Chairman Michael Coscia . . . said they do not believe the current crisis on Wall Street will have any longterm impact on financing the project or future tenancy in the five office towers to be erected on the World Trade Center site.”

Also, although this doesn’t say a lot of the state of the economy, Coscia noted, “We’ve built some of our most iconic structures during the Depression era.”

September 30th looks to be a big day in the World Trade Center’s development.

A new research center has opened at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and 9/11 plays a pivotal part in both its origin and its focus.  For starters, the Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies is named after a firefighter who died that day.

Christian Regenhard was a 28-year-old probationary firefighter and former Marine.  His mother, Sally Regenhard, pushed for the center’s construction in addition to being a vocal supporter of many probes and new safety measures.

As for the other part research center’s connection to 9/11, it will study emergency responses like those seen after the terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.  Other situations, such as a huge earthquake affecting the West Coast, will also be considered.

“Through the work of its dedicated faculty, this center will honor all first responders who lost their lives as a result of 9/11 and can help to ensure the safety of all responders in the future,” stated Sally Regenhard.

The government has put around $170,000 into the project so far, and it currently operates with three employees.  Assuming the economy doesn’t continue to get worse, both numbers could grow as time goes by.

The levels of bureaucracy that control (and interfere with) all World Trade Center progress might soon grow a little less cumbersome.  Mayor Bloomberg is attempting to eliminate one factor: the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

The LMDC was formed by Governor Pataki and Mayor Giuliani following 9/11.  Its mission was to plan reconstruction efforts and distribute federal funds.

The entity has been associated with more than a couple of problems, though, and according to Reuters, Bloomberg recently asserted, “The multiple layers of authority between the federal, state and city and the private sector just keeps getting in the way.”  Governor Spitzer also saw problems with the LMDC’s existence.

If Bloomberg has his way, the city government will step in to take a bigger role in World Trade Center construction.  He’s advocated simplifying the new transit hub in order to speed up the process, as well.

But one thing that remains to be seen is whether Governor Paterson will side with his predecessors and Bloomberg.  The governor’s outlook will matter a great deal when it comes to actually dismantling the LMDC, and he’s said little on the matter so far.

A memorial park layered with meaning was dedicated earlier today in Arlington, Virginia.  Exactly 184 cantilevered benches have been built to represent the 184 lives lost seven years ago in the Pentagon attack.

The benches, all of which sit over small pools of water, are oriented along the path of United Airlines Flight 77.  Victims’ nameplates have been affixed so that they’re visible with either the sky or the Pentagon in the background depending on where each person died.

Not far off, an “age wall” rises from three to 71 inches in height as a way of representing 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg, 71-year-old John Yamicky, and everyone in between.  Trees dotting the site are expected to flourish in the years ahead, and the park will be open every hour of every day.

President Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were both on hand for the memorial’s dedication ceremony.  Rumsfeld, who helped the Pentagon’s injured on 9/11, said, “We will never forget the way this huge building shook.  We will not forget our colleagues and friends who were taken from us and their families.  And we will not forget what that deadly attack has meant for our nation.”

It’s difficult to fathom that it has already been seven years since the attacks on 9/11. I remember how shocking it was to turn on the news and see the unbelievable events unfold before I was even fully awake. It almost seemed like I was dreaming, and I’m sure many others felt the same way, but unfortunately, it was just not the case. It was one of the most devastating days our country has ever seen, and certainly the most devastating that I have seen in my lifetime.

While we all have felt heartache over the attacks, a wound that is reopened around this time each year, I cannot imagine the magnitude of the heartache that those who lost someone in the attacks must feel. The only way I can truly relate to these people are through the news, documentaries, and films about what happened, none of which can even begin to capture the despair of the victims’ families.

I am just one person living far away from where any attacks happened,  who was fortunate enough to come away from the disaster without losing anybody close to me, but having lost love ones in the past to other circumstances, I do know loss and would like to express my sympathy for every single friend and family member that lost someone they care about as a result of terrorism. That is not limited to the September 11th attacks, but it is accentuated by them.

Condolences don’t take anything away, but everyone should take stock of everything they have in this world. Everyone they have. Be grateful for those you love, and for those who love you. Cherish the time you have together because it won’t last forever.

Two of the four planes that were hijacked seven years ago took off from Boston Logan International Airport, and now a new structure stands in memory of what happened.  The Massachusetts Port Authority dedicated the Place of Remembrance yesterday during a simple ceremony.

The memorial exists within a quiet 2.5-acre site at the airport.  Two pathways lead to a glass and steel sculpture, and the sculpture is marked with the planes’ departure times and the names of their passengers and crew.  It will remain open all day, every day, and is visible from several points in and around the airport.

Thomas J. Kinton Jr., Massport’s CEO and executive director, explained in a statement, “September 11 will remain with all of us - especially those who lost loved ones that terrible day and those of us who work in aviation.  As the airport operator, our intention was to build a public memorial at Logan Airport that acknowledges the tremendous loss for all who had loved ones on those flights, both the heroic flight crews and the passengers as well.  We believe this memorial accomplishes that.”

The memorial cost $4 million, and the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel helped by donating some land.

Summer blockbusters are fine for entertainment, but many films serve other purposes, too.  Through Friday, September 12th, a site called SnagFilms is showcasing five documentaries related to the September 11th attacks.

The pictures, titled “Afghanistan Revealed,” “Beyond Belief,” “Saint of 9/11,” “7 Days in September,” and “We Are Family,” all sound powerful and important.

As for the provider, Rick Allen, the CEO of SnagFilms, stated, “Bringing these remarkable films - each with a different perspective on these events - to an online audience is an affirmation of SnagFilms’ vision and value.  September 11, 2001 was a milestone in the development of the Internet as a global communications hub, as millions of people turned to the Web for news, or to communicate with one another.  It is fitting that we utilize the web to share these films as part of an overall effort to remember and reflect.”

Would-be viewers don’t have to worry much about 9/11 being monetized, since the documentaries are free and being shown without any commercials.  Also, Allen said that his company is “proud to match our viewers’ contributions to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.”

Watch any or all of the movies as you see fit, then.