U.S. Gov't Backs Off Seizure Plan, Says Flight 93 Landowners 'Will Be Treated Fairly'

thepittsburghchannel.com ^ | 6/5/2009 | General

[AbeKrieger]

SOMERSET, Pa. -- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the U.S. government will not use eminent domain to seize people's land for a permanent Flight 93 memorial and instead will renew negotiations with landowners near the terrorist crash site in Somerset County.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Salazar met with families of victims and landowners on Friday in Shanksville to discuss issues surrounding the planned national memorial for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, fatal hijacking.

Specter's office said Friday's meeting also focused on what still needs to be done for the memorial to be complete in time for the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2011.

Recently, the National Park Service said it would use eminent domain to seize land from seven property owners needed for the memorial. But Salazar said those plans are now changed.

[AbeKrieger]

Finally, sanity prevails.

[tsomer]

Now that real estate is in a slump....

[sionnsar]

Agreed.

[American Quilter]

Oh, good for YOU, Ken.

[HiTech RedNeck]

These private parties certainly may, if they wish, erect their own monuments or agree on a common collective monument. It’s a notorious enough spot that hiding it would do no good.

[the OlLine Rebel]

What sanity? I mean, aside from the irony of “seizing” American citizens’ land to pay homage to other martyrs as if the Moslem terrorists were the sole scumbags.

The best thing about this is we may have time to scrap that Homage to the Religion of Peace and get a REAL memorial instead.

[mmichaels1970]

Landowners will receive fair-market value for their property, Salazar said.

Just hoping this isn't simply a "rebranding" effort. Hoping they don't intend to "make them an offer they can't refuse".

[AbeKrieger]

I hold teh position that it would be better to forego the memorial altogether than to use any sort of eminent domain. Unless of course they were going to confiscate and knock down a mosque. Beyond that, it would be an insult to the dead and their families.

[Never on my watch]

Score a victory for the good guys in THIS battle in the property rights war, but the enemy is merely regrouping to attack on another front.

Don’t let your guard down for a minute.

[hattend]

I can’t believe it’s taken 8 years to get this memorial built.

[pissant]

Are they still trying to put up a muslim crescent?

[Never on my watch]

“...will not use EMINENT DOMAIN to seize people’s land...”

Read the sentence with the emphasis on EMINENT DOMAIN and I think you get a feeling how Interior Secretary Ken Salazar really feels.

[BikerJoe]

I can’t believe it’s taken 8 years to get this memorial built.

Hey, when the original design is a crescent facing Mecca, and the thing just HAS to be 2200 acres (yup, 3 friggin' square miles!), it's only natural that folks would object a little and maybe cause it to be delayed...

[ReneeLynn]

Next step, make the property owners look greedy and force them into accepting squat for their land. Or just raise the property taxes, they won’t be able to pay, and take the land anyway. Ah, government.

[Never on my watch]

Yes, despite their statements to the contrary.

[pnh102]

Why is such a large memorial needed? Put up a small monument on the side of the road and be done with it.

[peace with honor]

not on my worst day

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes. That’s why I say this could buy some time to scrap that crap.

[w1andsodidwe]

I can’t believe it’s taken 8 years to get this memorial built.

I can't believe that the Twin Towers have not yet been replaced.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I’m sure it’s not THAT large. Seems they’re always wanting a buffer zone. They don’t need all that land; it’s ridiculous.

[the OlLine Rebel]

That’s harder to do than this memorial.

[Never on my watch]

Well a small monument would only require one part-time Park Ranger.

This one will require a staff the size of an Army battalion and a 30 bureaucrats to oversee them.

[w1andsodidwe]

Well, I believe they already have the land.

[combat_boots]

Well, maybe there’s an ‘interfaith’ islamic center design in the offing in the ‘buffer.’

[Jagdgewehr]

The announcement, though, doesn't take eminent domain completely off the table. The government said it still has the option to use it, but will do so only as a last resort.

The landowners will be victims of totalitarianism regardless. Damn this government!

[MrB]

I’d be interested to know exactly WHO, by name,
designed this mockery of a memorial.

[NoObamaFightForConservatives]

Some farmers are going to be rich the almighty Uncle Obama has spoken.

[M203M4]

What better way to commemorate the murder of Americans on 9/11 than to steal more private American land! It isn’t theft if it is patriotic!

/unfunny

[glock rocks]

Next step, make the property owners look greedy and force them into accepting squat for their land. Or just raise the property taxes, they won’t be able to pay, and take the land anyway.

Why bother? Zero will just print up a wad o moolah and pay em off... gets better press that way, and he still gets to build his tribute to mecca.

[DBrow]

I don’t understand the need for such a huge tract of land.

[bgill]

A small pull-over area by a nearby road that overlooks the area would suffice, imo. It was enough a horror without snatching someone’s home as well.

[SJSAMPLE]

They want to encompass the ENTIRE crash site.
Currently, the site is off limits because of possible souveneir seekers.

By taking that much land, they can dig it up completely or cover it with concrete.

[Theophilus]

Place the memorial at the intended target. Have it state:
"Never forget: the people of flyover country saved your asses! Let's Roll!"

We're here from the government...
...to memorialize you

[FDNYRHEROES]

I find this news surprising in light of the fact that Obama hasn’t planned to sieze United Airlines as yet...

[Dr. Thorne]

According to Wikipedia, of the $57 million required to build this thing, as of April 2007 only $11 million had been raised. It may be a real long time before we see the revamped version of the “Crescent of Embrace” (that was the real name, folks), architect Paul Murdoch’s red, crescent-shaped memorial that just happened to face toward Mecca. Gee, I wonder if Murdoch is a conservative. /s

[Cheetahcat]

Move it to NYC !why have memorials all over the place.

[BP2]

Please, folks!

It's not like the Obama Administration suddenly gives a damn about NOT infringing on the property rights of Americans.

The National Park Service, Interior Department, Specter nor Obama deserves NO credit for this "decision"— it's more about the negotiations between the land owners and a National Park Service "misunderstanding":

Parks service officials have said they needed to take the land because negotiations with landowners weren't successful, but landowners said those negotiations never took place.

Landowners will receive fair market value for their property, Salazar said. The government still has the option to use eminent domain but said it will do so only as a last resort.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yup. Eminent Domain is not off the table; it’s just a “last resort”.

After the New London CT case I doubt the locals will get anywhere.

But maybe this’ll delay it so much we can in the meantime get a decent redesign, and get rid of the homage to Islam.

[smokingfrog]

Specter actually does something that’s right? Color me surprised.

[DoughtyOne]

Until Friday, the National Park Service had planned to seize the remaining land that's needed for a $58 million, 2,200-acre memorial and national park at the crash site -- an extremely rural area 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

What the hell? I believe it's something like 660 acres for a square mile. They actually though they needed four square miles of land?

We're talking about a very large tract of land here.

[stevie_d_64]

I believe everything they have done so far is an insult...

“Arlen Specter D-PA”

I really wonder if the people in that state are going to fire this abomination...I seriously doubt they have the guts to do so...

And yeah...Thats a challenge...

And if you want to know...Yep...I am not going to vote for Kay Bailey Hutchison Rino-Tx...I’m voting for Mike Williams R-Tx for that Senate seat...

[rvoitier]

Flight 93 Memorial--National Parks Service

[toldyou]

“What the hell? I believe it’s something like 660 acres for a square mile. They actually thought they needed four square miles of land? We’re talking about a very large tract of land here.”

Yes...it’s in a rural area. A small motel or two are miles away near the turnpike. I, too, can’t understand why they need all this land!

We United flight attendants raised money and put an absolutely beautiful memorial to our flight attendants and pilots on the grounds of a chapel across the road from the crash site. It was there way before the 5th anniversary.

[agrace]

Why is such a large memorial needed? Put up a small monument on the side of the road and be done with it.

Exactly, and the makeshift memorial is just that, and it is beautiful - it's right off the road and its very small footprint doesn't really infringe upon much of the surrounding land. We were there several years ago, and if it is still the way it was, to the right of this photo they have a small parks building with albums you can look through and one parks worker on duty. There are park benches engraved with the names of those who died, carved rocks and memorial stones on the ground, and the wall you see in the photo is fantastic, with notes of thanks like "Thank you for not hitting our school, love, the students of [name of local elementary that is quite close by], and all kinds of firefighter, police and soldier memorabilia.

The memorial's construction was mostly spontaneous and personifies the fierce patriotism of average Americans and I think it should stay just as it is. It is a respectful distance from the actual crash site, which is probably several hundred yards in the distance across a field - in the photo it would be out off to the left.

[agrace]

Here's a shot of the whole thing. The crash site is in the distance beyond the flags above the wall, or maybe to the right a bit. When we were there the actual location was marked with a flag way out in the field.

[DoughtyOne]

Good for you folks. While I want a memorial on sight, it rubs me the wrong way how the government is making a mockery of its effort.

[AUH2O Repub]

I am usually against the government taking land but the property owners are the greedy ones here. They are the ones that are asking far more than the property is worth because some brave Americans died there. I had a good friend and colleague on that flight and I think it is a travesty that these people are trying to make an obscene profit off of my friend’s death.

[the OlLine Rebel]

These people continue to vote MURTHA despite his insulting them 1st 1 way, then apologizing another insult.

People are morons, and western PA is proving it.

[toldyou]

“Move it to NYC! why have memorials all over the place.”

I agree with you. While millions will be able to view it in NYC, not many will visit Shanksville.

Federal Funds Approved for Flight 93 Memorial
Wednesday, March 11, 2009, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The U.S. Senate yesterday approved $5.475 million for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County as part of the 2009 appropriations bill. The bill is now awaiting the signature of President Barack Obama.

The memorial is expected to be dedicated on Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The total estimated cost of the project is $56 million.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09070/954716-100.stm#ixzz0Hc3u7HFj&C

[omega4179]

I fail to see why their property rights should be disturbed because a plane happened to crash there.