AP source: Funding dispute will delay 9/11 museum

[November 22, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The 2012 opening of the Sept. 11 museum at the World Trade Center will be delayed by disputes over redevelopment costs, a person familiar with the construction project said Monday.

The dispute between the National September 11 Memorial & Museum foundation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.

The foundation is responsible for the museum's cost while the Port Authority, which owns the site, is paying for infrastructure improvements. Exactly who should pay for each component of the project has been subject to debate, and the dispute responsible for the delay partly centers over $156 million that the Port Authority says the foundation owes.

The person familiar with the construction said the museum's opening will be delayed because the Port Authority has stopped approving new construction contracts. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing.

A memorial at the trade center opened in September on the 10th anniversary of the 2001 attacks. The museum showcasing artifacts from the attacks was to open on the 11th anniversary next year.

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman would not comment except to say, "We are working cooperatively with New York City and the memorial on this issue."

Museum spokesman Michael Frazier said, "We are working with the leadership of the Port Authority to come to an immediate resolution that allows this historic project to move forward."

[Associated Press; By KAREN MATTHEWS]

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