Steve Pearce: “The Service did indeed extend the Circle Line contract from March 31, 2004, to March 2007 due to a number of factors…”

“The Service did indeed extend the Circle Line contract from March 31, 2004, to March 2007 due to a number of factors stemming from the events of September 11, including the fact, as my colleague knows, that the statue was closed to the public from 9/11 through August 2004. During this time, Liberty Island underwent an extensive security and safety assessment that focused on a number of vulnerabilities such as the statue's 3/32 of an inch thick skin, and local park officials spent much more time focusing on those issues than preparing for a new contract prospectus. Obviously, they dropped the ball.”