Is the Statue of Liberty Open or Closed now?
Current Status – Is the Statue of Liberty Open, Shut, or Closed now?
Statue of Liberty reopens on New York state’s dime
updated 6:38 AM EDT, Mon October 14, 2013
The Statue of Liberty which was closed as a result of the partial government shutdown reopened on Sunday, October 14th, after New York state agreed to pay $61,600 a day over the next several days from its tourism budget to run it.
According to a statement from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a 2012 annual report from the National Park Service counted 3.7 million visitors to Liberty Island in 2011, generating nearly $200 million in economic activity and supporting more than 2,000 jobs.
Bill Rudin, chairman of the Battery Conservancy, which operates the 25-acre park and ticketing center for ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, said that 400 jobs have been lost at the Statue of Liberty and surrounding parks since the government shutdown began on October 1.
Rudin estimated that the 10,000 daily visitors each spend $35, adding up to losses in the thousands of dollars during the closure.