STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While work is scheduled to begin as planned on the NY Wheel sometime between now and April, an official groundbreaking ceremony has been postponed due to the cold weather.
The invite-only ceremony -- to be a commemoration of work on the N.Y. Wheel and the Empire Outlets -- was initially scheduled to take place on March 10 at Richmond Country Bank Ball Park in St. George.
According to a joint statement issued by both entities the ceremony will be postponed "due to this year's incredibly frigid winter temperatures."
"We and Empire Outlets have decided that it's silly to push the weather here. We decided it made more sense to have the ceremony sometime in April," said NY Wheel developer Rich Marin.
"This doesn't affect the work we are doing on the site. It's just the ceremony that has been postponed," he added.
Last month, preparations for the groundbreaking of the 630-foot observation wheel began as stacked valet parking equipment was brought onto the site where temporary ferry parking will be situated.
Marin said groundbreaking on the foundation for the project should begin within the next month.
"We are getting about ready to pull the permit for the foundation. I'm guessing sometime this month we will start on the foundation. It will be between now and April 1," said Marin. "Once we have the foundation permit we also have to get the go-ahead from EDC for a construction commencement approval."
At night, visitors can expect the world's tallest observation wheel to be decked out in an array of colors that can be tailored to fit any occasion.
The Empire Outlets is expected to be completed in 2016. The BFC Partners' project will be open-air pedestrian-friendly mall with waterfront dining, 100 designer outlet shops and a 190-room hotel situated in the shadows of New York Wheel.
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