Statue of Liberty's crown may shine again after 7 years

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By The Associated Press
Published: July 5, 2008

NEW YORK — The National Park Service is considering reopening Lady Liberty's crown for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to documents a congressman released on July Fourth.

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The park service requested bids last month to study what it would take to safely open the Statue of Liberty's iconic headpiece to the public, according to documents released by U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.

Liberty Island was closed after the terrorist attacks. The statue's base, pedestal and lower observation deck reopened in August 2004, after a $20 million effort to enhance fire safety.

But the crown and its interior observation deck remained closed because the Park Service said there was no way to evacuate them safely in an emergency. The narrow spiral staircase that leads up to the crown doesn't comply with fire and building codes.

Visitors are now limited to the statue's 154-foot-tall pedestal.

Weiner said keeping the observation deck shuttered hurts the city's economy: Since the crown closed, the number of visitors to Lady Liberty has dropped 44 percent, from 3.6 million in 2000 to 2.5 million in 2006.

Plan to be finalized by next year
The Park Service letter, sent to nearly 800 security firms, asks 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.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Wednesday, and the plans would be finalized by January 2009, Weiner said.

The House recently agreed to provide $1 million to help fund the work; it wasn't immediately clear Friday whether the Senate would do the same.

The crown is the only National Park Service site that hasn't reopened since the 2001 attacks. The Park Service oversees such sites as the Washington Monument and Mount Rushmore.

A Park Service spokesman did not immediately return a telephone call Friday.

A gift from France to the United States, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886.


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Related Topics: War and Conflict, Terrorism, Cultural Institutions and Parks, Parks and Historic Sites


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