Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul, the Port Authority of New York, and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners, the consortium building a new Terminal 6, celebrated a key milestone in the transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport, where members of organized labor hoisted into position the final piece of structural steel for the first phase of the 1.2 million square-foot terminal. The state-of-the-art terminal will feature expansive, naturally lit public spaces, cutting-edge technology, inspiring public art and an array of amenities designed to enhance the customer experience, making it a critical piece of the Port Authority’s $19 billion transformation of JFK into a world-class global gateway.
B-ROLL: The beam signing is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).
VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).
AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.
PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.
A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:
Good morning and thank you, Gary. Before I talk about this amazing project and the reason we're here today, I do want to update New Yorkers on the port strike that began at 12:01 a.m. last night. I see Rick Cotton here, we were together yesterday talking about possible impacts should this occur. And for the first time in 47 years, this is a strike across the entire Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore commerce has grown to a halt.
It's estimated that 100,000 shipping containers are literally in limbo in the port of New York and New Jersey alone. But as always, with an incredible team led by Rick Cotton and so many other dedicated professionals – we are prepared. So if Rick looks a little tired today, you'll know why. He has been working around the clock for weeks with the great team that he has.
The Port Director, Bethann Rooney. I want to give her a round of applause because there's a lot of stress on our friends right now. But they're working so hard to ensure that there are absolutely minimal disruptions to New Yorkers. As I said in my briefing yesterday, we don't expect to see New Yorkers have much of an impact.
It's not time to panic buying groceries or other products because the port has worked really hard to move produce and other shipments off the containers, get them into the trucks, and get them to their destination so they could move before the strike began. And of course, we encourage the parties to come to a speedy resolution that respects the rights of workers to have a good pay, but also allows commerce to resume quickly.
I just want to say, we'll be monitoring this very closely. Watching every aspect of it. Making sure that New Yorkers are well taken care of; that there's no disruptions to our supply of medical support, prescriptions, food – all these are our highest priorities right now.
Just had to give that announcement because we're in the throes of a crisis not too far from here right now. Let's turn to this magnificent event.
As I walked through the crowds, and looked in the faces of so many proud New Yorkers who are using their hands and their minds to show that we are a city. A place of great doers and dreamers. And you're looking at the doers right behind me.
You think from our tallest skyscrapers to the deepest subway tunnels, we see the impact of this audacity that defines New Yorkers every single day. And you think about where this impact all comes together. The creativity that went into saying we can do better, at a place that is the welcome mat to the entire world here at the transformed JFK Airport – and most specifically Terminal 6.
I'm proud to have talked about this project in my first days as Governor. To shepherd this through to completion and we're almost there. And Rick, I thank you again. You are very persuasive. As is Gary. When they came to me with these projects, I'm a rookie Governor, and I trusted both of you at that moment to know this is something that needed to happen, and we could work together and get it done. Less than two years ago, we broke ground on this facility which is the envy of the world. And I want to thank everybody who's had a major role in this.
Rick Cotton. I'm going to say your name over and over, because you are the embodiment of what one person can do with a team of professionals that they lead to get us to places only others have dreamed of. Let's give a huge round of applause to my friend Rick Cotton.
It's great to have the entire board here, the Port Authority Board. I want to thank all of them, our great partners there as well.
We also have incredible elected leaders. When I think about the people driving this from the ground, Congressman Greg Meeks and Borough President Donovan Richards have been tireless in making sure that Southeast Queens is at the table – and eating a lot of food at the table. And the food in fact is coming from Southeast Queens, so congratulations on having such a dramatic impact.
George Casey, JFK Millennium Partners. Thank you, George, for continuing to believe in us. For resources to get this done.
Joanna Geraghty, the CEO of JetBlue. JetBlue, one of our favorite airlines, New York's hometown airline. A special shout out to her as well. Jason Kopp, the Chief Operating Officer at AECOM Hunt.
And of course, the person who represents all the thousands of hard-working men and women wearing the hard hats – the one and only Gary LaBarbera. Thank you, Gary.
This is my fourth major event at JFK in the short time I've been Governor. Between Terminal 1, Terminal 6 – we have the groundbreakings, we have the topping off, we have the ribbon cuttings. And we're getting closer to completion of one of the largest transformations in our history. And being here so many times, I never get tired of it. I look forward to coming back again. But today we're here together to put that final piece of steel beam, to top it off and to finally fulfill this long held dream.
We often talk about JFK as being the front door to the rest of the world, I've said that. Just a little bit of a history lesson. Back in 1948, President Truman stood not far from here at a dedication ceremony. It was called Idlewild, remember? You don't remember. You're too young, Gary. Stop shaking your head. You weren't even born back then, come on.
But President Truman spoke about his vision and what this place could be – not just a gateway to the world, but, more specifically, he said, “This is the gateway to the United Nations. That men and women from the far reaches of the world would land here in this very place, this hallowed ground, in search of solutions for peace in countries all around the world.”
We know this. The United Nations was just here. They did land here. They came to this gateway, and President Truman's dream was fulfilled. It was a bold statement; it remains true even then. But this isn't just about an airport. It's about our place in history and our identity as New Yorkers. As I mentioned, we have very high standards here. We expect the very best. And as I often say to my poor, beleaguered staff, “You may hit the bar that I raised high and I'm going to raise it even higher.” Those are my expectations. That's what we're getting from the men and women of labor who have made this magic happen.
I can never salute them enough. All of you. All of you. Thank you. Thank you for being out there in the rain, and the cold, and the slush, and the heat and the snow, coming out day after day, leaving your families, knowing that you could actually be in danger doing some of this really critical work. And you keep showing up. You never say no.
And when this is all finished, you're going to come by here with your kids and your grandkids and say, “I built that because I am part of the New York story and I have a governor who's forever grateful for that.” Another round of applause for the men and women of labor, please.
Terminal 6 will complete the $18 billion transformation, turning it into a 21st century global gateway. And this alone is a $4.2 billion investment in our future. And you know my favorite part? It's privately funded. I don't get to say that very often. Thank you. Thank you. And it's a testament to our confidence in ourselves.
4,000 jobs, 1,800 men and women of labor, as I've just saluted to, showing up day after day. So, I just want to say, thank you. We have a lot of speakers. I want to say this – being your Governor is the highest honor of my life. And to come to an event like this and to see the commitment of people who love this community, who love this state so much that they'll go through hell and high water to make sure we get through pandemics and supply chain disruption, who will just keep building and building and building. My friends, we have taken the image of New Yorkers as being the bold, audacious dreamers to levels that others could never have dreamed of. And to be able to be Governor at this moment in history is something I'm proud of. I'm proud of every one of you who have made this happen here today.
We're going to continue hiring into the communities. Southeast Queens is going to keep sending workers and contracts and making sure that we support this. And we will never overlook our neighbors. Never overlook. That happens at too many airports around America. You forget the people who live right outside the doorstep who have to put up with the disruption, and the noise and the commotion. We are here to celebrate you as well.
And making sure that we have MWE participation. 30 percent. 30 percent MWE transferring. And I have seen people's lives changed because they can get one of those contracts. We set a record for the largest MWE participation in any project in our state history. This is the project. This is it. $2.3 billion in contracts have been awarded to firms and contractors, creative construction services in Cambria Heights, jetways, security in Jamaica. Projects like these, people can take care of their families and hire more people. It has a ripple effect way beyond the confines of this airport.
So, when it's all done, it'll be beautiful. I don't want just an ordinary airport, I want people to have their jaws drop and say, “It's gorgeous.” Natural light coming in and soaring ceilings that'll let us see the heavens. This is what we're talking about. This is what we achieved at the other airport. Right, Rick?
And it's going to be a sanctuary of calm against the hassle of travel. And the food's going to be amazing. It's my last point. People are going to say, “Where are you making reservations?” I'm going to JFK Airport for dinner tonight. This is my expectation. Di Fara Pizza, David Chang's Fuku, Brooklyn Blend. I mean, these are just a couple of the names.
We can't build the places fast enough because people want to be here. So, this is not just for our travelers. It's for us. It's for us. And so, we've seen record breaking passenger volumes. We're going to continue breaking records. And I'm so excited. You can tell I'm excited? I'm having trouble containing this because I love what we're doing here.
I love to build. I like to make things happen. And I just want New Yorkers to believe again. We are an exceptional place. Exceptional things happen under our watch and our leadership. And all of you here today are part of that magnificent New York story. Thank you. Congratulations. Look forward to the ribbon cutting.
Thank you, everybody.