Crystal Joins De Niro on 9/11 Memorial Board

Funnyman joins board of directors of National September 11 Memorial and Museum, which has raised $350 million to date for planned tribute

Billy Crystal is clearly in a New York state of mind.

The Emmy winner has joined the board of directors of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, a foundation raising funds for the still-in-the-works local memorial to the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Crystal, who was born on Long Island and who performed at a benefit concert to raise money for the city a month after 9/11, joins fellow Big Apple native Robert De Niro on the now 45-member board.

The organization has privately raised more than $350 million to go toward a memorial at the WTC site, a project that has attracted no end of creative, logistical and financial controversy.

Earlier this month, a group of victims' relatives told the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that it was imperative that the public tribute to the 2,751 people who died in the city be completed by 2011, in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

Joseph C. Daniels, president and chief executive of the memorial foundation responded in a statement:

"We believe it is both possible and essential that the memorial be open to the public by the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Given the complexities in rebuilding the site, we understand that public access to the memorial will be challenging at that time. However, we will be exploring all options to mitigate the impact of ongoing construction."

The Port Authority has said that the entire project, which includes the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower, two smaller office towers and a transit hub, could end up costing more than $15 billion.