NEW YORK, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the feud at Ground Zero intensifies, the designer of an alternate plan for the troubled site is launching a vigorous campaign to raise awareness. A series of "Kitchen Table Summit" meetings will turn up the heat in the weeks before the 8th anniversary of 9/11 and challenge the trend toward lowered expectations. Invitations have started going out from structural engineer Kenneth Gardner to community leaders in politics, industry, media, architecture, and the arts, as well as to 9/11 family spokespeople and individuals who represent the man- and woman-on-the-street. The common sense that thrives around the nation's kitchen tables has been banished from the World Trade Center. The recent "Gracie Mansion Summit" was just the most recent example of the elitist "Mansion Mentality" that gave us the official plan to begin with. It is illogical to think that the contempt for the people that fostered the current chaos can be overcome without the public's help. As Yogi Berra pointed out: "You can observe a lot by watching," and the folly of the current irrational course is apparent. The cost overruns and years of delay recently projected by independent overseers make it increasingly likely that those who are invited to take part in this civic rescue mission will recognize the value of attending. The man who created the "Twin Towers II" plan (along with his mentor, the late Herbert Belton, an architect on the original WTC construction team) is confident that there will be some who are eager to evaluate the plan before making up their minds. "Twin Towers II" has already impressed some eminent authorities in the field. The aim now is to make other influential citizens aware of an alternative to all the waste and disappointment, while a transition is still feasible. If there is a plan ready to build 21st-century mixed-use Twin Towers that could be completed within three or four years and would cost billions of dollars less than is currently projected, then how can that responsibly be dismissed? Furthermore, if it includes an uplifting memorial that is much preferred by 9/11 families, for a fraction of the cost of the current design, on what basis can it be ignored? How much longer will a handful of politicians be allowed to defy the will of millions of Americans? A recent MSNBC poll suggests that more than 90% of the people agree that the Twin Towers belong in America's skyline. What is it about the current project that makes it worth overruling the people?
