COMMISSION SENSITIVE

UNCLASSIFIED
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Re: Property leased by SPI

Type of event: Interview / Correspondence with Alan Reiss

Date: June 23, 2004

Special access: None

Prepared by: Madeleine Blot

Team: 8b

Location: By email

Participants - Non Commission: Alan Reiss, Former Director of Port Authority World
Trade Department; James Begley, Deputy General Counsel, Port Authority

Participants - Commission staff: Madeleine Blot

Prior to the transfer of control of the WTC from the Port Authority to Silverstein
Properties, Inc. ("SPI"), on July 24, 2001, the Port Authority owned and operated 1
WTC, 2 WTC, 4 WTC, 5 WTC (other than areas leased to private tenants), corresponding
sub grade areas and the concourse. The PA owned the land on which 3 WTC (the
Marriott Hotel), 6 WTC (US Customs House) and 7 WTC (SPI) were built, but the
buildings were built and/or operated by lessees.:

On July 24, 2001, all properties owned and operated by the Port Authority were
transferred by net lease to SPI. For the purpose of staff s investigation, 'WTC' or 'the
complex' should refer to those buildings and areas owned and operated by the PA.

1 Silverstein Properties built and operated 7 WTC. The PA does not recall who built 3 WTC which was
operated by the Marriott Hotel. 6 WTC, the US Customs House, was leased by GSA, which managed the
building from the B1 level to the roof.; the PA had title to the land and owned parking lots under the
building.
 COMMISSION SENSITIVE
UNCLASSIFIED
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Re: Stairwells in towers

Type of event: Interview / Correspondence with Alan Reiss

Date: July 12, 2004

Special access: None

Prepared by: Madeleine Blot

Team: 8b

Location: By email

Participants - Non Commission: Alan Reiss, former Director of Port Authority World
Trade Department

Participants - Commission staff: Madeleine Blot

Staff asked Alan Reiss to confirm that the width of the A & C stairwells
conformed to building code requirements and that the width of the B stairwell exceeded
code requirements. Mr. Reiss confirmed that the A & C stairwells were 44" wide, the
minimum width required by code, and that the B stairwell was 56" wide, 12 inches wider
than required by code. Other factors, including capacity (i.e., load of people per floor)
figured into the determination of appropriate stairwell widths at the time the towers were
designed.
 COMMISSION SENSITIVE
UNCLASSIFIED
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Re: AlanReiss

Type of event: Interview / Correspondence re power sources in WTC

Date: July 12, 2004

Special access: None

Prepared by: Madeleine Blot

Team: 8b

Location: By email

Participants - Non Commission: Alan Reiss, former Director of Port Authority World
Trade Department

Participants - Commission staff: Madeleine Blot

Electric for the towers was primarily supplied by dedicated feeders (4 per zone)
from the Con Ed substation under 7 WTC. If power was lost by the primary set of
feeders, it would automatically transfer to another set of feeders1. If all commercial
power was lost, a second source of backup power was supplied by emergency
generators. A tertiary source of backup power was also available for critical systems
such as the fire alarm. Backup battery power was also available for the fire alarm system
and fire stairwell lights.

The WTC was served by 8 feeders in total

 COMMISSION SENSITIVE
UNCLASSIFIED
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Re: Mezzanine

Type of event: Interview with Alan Reiss

Date: June 20, 2004

Special access: None

Prepared by: Madeleine Blot

Team: 8b

Location: By email

Participants - Non Commission: Alan Reiss, former Director of Port Authority World
Trade Department

Participants - Commission staff: Madeleine Blot

In response to a question from staff, Alan Reiss clarified that the "mezzanine"
levels of the towers' lobbies was one floor, e.g., 12 feet, above street level. The
mezzanine was level with the plaza and the 2nd floor of the towers. The plaster ceiling of
the lobby was at the 6th floor level. (See Alan Reiss interview, Jul. 25, 2004, re 2nd to 9th
floor levels)
 COMMISSION SENSITIVE
UNCLASSIFIED
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Re: WTC sub grade levels

Type of event: Interview with Michael Hurley

Date: June 21,2004

Special access: None

Prepared by: Madeleine Blot

Team: 8b

Location: By email

Participants - Non Commission: Michael Hurley, Former life safety director, WTC

Participants - Commission staff: Madeleine Blot

In response to question from staff, Michael Hurley confirmed that the B6 level of
the towers was 6 stories below ground. Bl was the first level below ground and
contained the truck dock (w/ truck parking, delivery areas, access to freight elevators etc).
B2 contained parking lots, and, e.g., operational offices and electrical shops. B3
contained more parking, offices, and storage area. B4 contained more parking lots. And
B5 and B6 contained mechanical equipment and tenants storage area (tenants could rent
"cages"). Many of the sub grade areas were originally used as parking lots. However,
after the 1993 bombing, public parking was prohibited in the WTC complex and tenant
parking was restricted. Therefore, as of Sept 11th, many of these areas were unused
space.
 COMMISSION SENSITIVE
UNCLASSIFIED

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Re: 2nd - 9th floors area in towers

Type of event:

Date: July 25, 2004

Special access: None

Prepared by: Madeleine Blot

Team: 8b

Location: By email

Participants - Non Commission. Alan Reiss, former Director of Port Authority World
Trade Department

Participants - Commission staff: Madeleine Blot

Staff asked Alan Reiss to elaborate on the reason why re-entry was not possible
from the stairwells between the 2nd and 9th floor area in the towers. Mr. Reiss told staff
that the 7th and 8th floors contained a two-level mechanical equipment room to which
access was restricted to authorized personnel via the electronic security system.1 Space
between the 2nd and 6th floor levels, between the core of the building and the exterior
columns, was part of the open upper portion of the ground-floor level atrium. There were
several small areas of space between the stairwells in the core of the building which were
un-leased and used for miscellaneous purposes.

The MER on 7/8 was one large room (as on 41/42) containing 2-story fans which served the lobby & the
16 floors above. It also contained pumps and electric substations.