Results tagged “departmentofbuildings”

After a two year investigation, the Manhattan DA has indicted 29 people accused of connections with the Lucchese crime family, and six of them worked as inspectors for the city Department of Buildings. Asked how the mobsters were able to rise to the level of supervisory positions in the department, DA Robert Morgenthau told reporters, "I’ll leave that for you to figure out...They had developed a small beachfront into this agency... This two-year joint investigation reminds us that the threat of traditional organized crime is not a thing of the past."

The Post reports that at least six Department of Buildings employees "will be arrested later this month, along with about two dozen Luchese crime-family captains, soldiers and associates." Ooh, another mob sweep. Apparently the Buildings inspectors, two of whom are "full-blown Luchese associates," "were videotaped taking bribes at construction sites, and some were seen dealing cocaine and prescription pills while on duty" and "lined their pockets by ignoring violations or expediting construction and building work permits." And the revelations emerged from a 2007 case in NJ, where some members of the Luchese crime family "ran a staggering $2 billion-a-year gambling operation and supplied drugs and cellphones to Bloods gang members in state prisons." Guess the DOB's new code of conduct is coming in handy.

Yesterday afternoon, a construction worker working outside a building on 12th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn fell four stories to his death. Henryk Siebor, 42, was supervising other workers and had been called over to inspect some scaffolding; the NY Times reports, "As Mr. Siebor stepped onto the scaffold, one of the lines holding it to the building gave way, sending the scaffold swinging against the building as he plunged to his death, landing on a first-floor terrace below."

Tenants at 128 Hester Street in Chinatown were evacuated yesterday, because the Department of Buildings found the tenement unsafe—and ordered that the five-story building be demolished. And the tenants are fuming, because they say that their complaints about the building's problems have gone ignored: Besides the vacate order, there are 32 complaints to the DOB, including ones from months ago (April, February), indicating that neighboring construction created cracks in the walls of 128 Hester. City Councilman Alan Gerson's says the DOB ignored tenants' complaints.

The city building code requires that wires pass through a fireproof conduit made of metal collars between floors, but a licensed master electrician with contracts at four Midtown hotels was caught using wood instead. Each metal collar costs $350, so it's likely that electrician Robert Spallino was able to cut costs by using wooden versions. It's also likely that the collars were flammable, being made of wood and all. A DOB source tells the Post that Spallino even painted the collars "a dark color in the hopes that they would go undetected." Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri says, "This contractor was willing to put people's lives in danger in order to save a few dollars, and his actions must not go unpunished." You might think the punishment would end Spallino's career, but he's just been suspended for a year. And the suspension won't begin for another eight months so he can close out existing contracts. Way to send a message, DOB! The wooden fakes have all been replaced with metal collars; they were found at the Garden Chelsea Hotel, the Holiday Inn on West 26th Street, the Sheraton Midtown Hotel on West 40th Street, and the Fairfield Inn on West 40th Street.

Yesterday, the Post reported that a Second Avenue building—right near where the MTA is working on Second Avenue subway construction—was vacated by the Department of Buidlings. Residents and business owners were annoyed, with one saying, "They came today at 2 p.m. and said you have to get out. The building could collapse at any minute." Now it turns out that the building, 1768 2nd Avenue was leaning by 18 inches: According to the DOB, the specific issue is a "FAIL TO MAINTAIN BLDG EXTERIOR BLDG LEANING TO NORTH BY 18' OUT OF PLUMB." While residents and business owners blame the subway construction, today the Post says that an MTA consultant sent a memo to the DOB, back in 2006, "about the poor conditions of the buildings on the block," but the memo was ignored.

A $4 million study released by the Department of Buildings finds that the department isn't that great! The study was prompted by last year's numerous construction fatalities and, according to the Daily News, the study found that "Buildings Department inspectors are poorly trained, inspections are frequently slipshod and fines are routinely laughed off as 'the cost of doing business.'" Other ringing endorsements: "Inspectors are currently not uniformly equipped to judge the acceptability of common unsafe conditions" and there is "no current method to confirm that crane repairs restore [a damaged] crane to proper working condition." The study made dozens of recommendations to the DOB, which has already started incorporating them.

Yesterday afternoon, the city evacuated 273 Mott Street in Little Italty (or Nolita) because a rather large crack emerged in the building's facade. The NY Post reports the crack was three inches wide at the top of the building, "The building, which has 15 residents, and a Japanese/Thai restaurant on its first floor and apartments above, has a 20-foot tall crack in its facade that seems to have grown since last year, a caller complained to the Buildings Department." The Department of Buildings had actually issued a complaint to the building's owner on Tuesday about the crack, but yesterday the FDNY and DOB were on the scene after complaints of the building shaking. On Sunday, a four-story building, which had a substantial crack in its exterior wall, in Brooklyn collapsed, perhaps partly due to the recent rain. And EV Grieve passed by 273 Mott, where one onlooker muttered, "This is what happens when it rains for 30 straight days."

      

The Department of Buildings continues to investigate what caused a four-story Clinton Hill building to collapse on Sunday. DOB Commissioner Robert LiMandri told reporters, "We are right now zeroing in on what happened, what work was being done and what caused the building to collapse."

The city's Department of Investigation says that the Fire Department and Department of Buildings failed to inspect the former Deutsche Bank building in the months leading up to the August 2007 seven-alarm fire that claimed two firefighters' lives. For instance, a DOB inspector told his supervisor that there was a breach in a water standpipe, but the supervisor allegedly told him to leave it out of his report. The Daily News points out, "If the test had been carried out, inspectors would have discovered a more serious issue with the standpipe - preventing the tragedy that claimed firefighters Joseph Graffagnino Jr. and Robert Beddia." The DOI report also reiterated claims that the FDNY didn't inspect the building as it should have, "Everyone had tunnel vision." Graffagnino's father lamented to the News, "Why didn't they do anything about it? They couldn't do anything right." You can read the whole report here (PDF).

The jewelry designer who was injured when an external stairway collapsed at the artists' warehouse Five Pointz is in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital. According to the Daily News, Nicole Gagne, 37, is in the trauma unit at the hospital after falling three stories and being buried by concrete steps and metal debris. A friend said, "She's used those stairs for years. We didn't expect she was rolling the dice with her life."

A year ago, a Midtown condo construction site's crane fell into neighboring buildings on East 50th Street near 2nd Avenue. Aside from damaging neighboring buildings and leveling a townhouse, seven people—six construction workers and one woman in the townhouse—were killed. Neighbors had complained about the construction, but the incident further forced the Department of Buildings to monitor cranes more carefully (another crane killed two just two months later). Last week, the DOB released findings from its investigation: Ultimately, four synthetic slings—including one that had prior physical damage—used to support a 11,279-pound steel collar (eight slings are usually used) were blamed, from how they were placed to how there was no padding to protect the slings from sharp edges. Earlier this year, the Manhattan DA's office charged the crane rigger with manslaughter.

In its second article in a series about the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the NY Times examines the "legal loophole" that developers take advantage of: Once they learn their building might be up for landmark status, developers often "[rush] to obtain a demolition or stripping permit from the... Department of Buildings so that notable qualities can be removed, rendering the structure unworthy of protection." This is what happened in 2006, when the cornices of the 19th century Dakota Stables were removed; the LPC didn't landmark it since it was "irreparably changed"-- now you have luxury condo The Harrison. There are proposed City Council bills to prevent builders from similar action, but some think there should be better communication between the DOB and LPC. One LPC commissioner says, "When a property owner goes to the buildings department for a permit to strip, it should be a red flag."

Prosecutors are poised to slap New York's top concrete testing company with some serious racketeering and fraud charges. After a nine month investigation, the DA is urging a grand jury to vote for charges against at least a dozen employees of Testwell Laboratories, which holds $12 million in city contracts for analyzing the strength of concrete at public projects including bridges, subway tunnels and schools. Some of the top officials at the company could face a maximum 25 years in prison for allegedly failing to conduct some tests and falsifying others, the Times reports. The Buildings Department says it's now going back and "assessing concrete at various sites across the city." Investigators have also found irregularities in tests conducted at the new Yankee Stadium and the Freedom Tower. Hopefully none of this will cause delays with Ground Zero construction!

About 60 tenants at 8-29 Astoria Boulevard in Queens were evacuated after the city found their building full of safety violations. A tenant had initially complained about bedbugs, but then the Department of Buildings found (report) inadequate sprinkler system, illegal electrical and gas work, illegal plumbing, no fire escapes, and no emergency exits (gas and water were shut off) . WABC 7 spoke to residents who said the landlord for the building--which was zoned only for commercial use--charged $900-1300/month and that they had paid their rents in cash on October 1. The Red Cross is helping residents, but one said to WCBS 2, "I'm nervous because what I can do with my baby?"

The Daily News checked out the new crane at the 1st Avenue and East 91 Street site where a crane collapsed, killing two men, in May. Neighbors were wary--one said, "The first thing I thought was, 'Oh, here we go again,'" while another said, "I tend to think they won't screw up twice, but I don't want to be the one who is told, 'I told you so.'" The Buildings Department said the crane is "fresh out of the box," referring to how the previous crane was 25 years old--and was struck by lightning in 2007. The DOB recently introduced new rules requiring crane contractors to have the cranes' manuals on hand for inspectors, which the industry isn't very happy with because many cranes are so old, the manuals are lost.

After two fatal crane collapses and other accidents, the city issued new rules to improve crane safety. However, construction industry officials tell the NY Times union laborers would be out of work (temporarily), work will be slower, and the Department of Buildings didn't even consult them! For instance, the new rules requires contractors to have manuals for assembling and dismantling cranes, but many operators "don't have those manuals and own cranes whose manufacturers are out of business." A concrete contractor said, "What used to take a week now takes three to four weeks." DOB commissioner Robert LiMandri said these rules were developed with the industry and were included in the City Council's legislation, "Safety must be everyone's top priority."

Mayor Bloomberg is making acting Building Department commissioner Robert LiMandri the permanent commissioner. LiMandri has headed the DOB after previous commissioner Patricia Lancaster stepped down after a month after the March 15 crane collapse. City Room points out that the City Council paved the way for the expected promoting by changing the requirements needed for the job. Now commissioners do not need to be licensed engineers or architects--LiMandri "has an engineering degree, but is not licensed." More about LiMandri here.

Yesterday, a construction worker died after being thrown from a small crane on Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens. A truck had crashed into it, and witnesses say there were "no warning cones around it, and the boom started swinging back and forth." Two workers who had been wearing safety harnesses survived, the worker who died was reportedly not wearing a hardhat. The truck's driver was not issued a summons, as the police believe the driver "simply lost control," while the Buildings Department issued a stop work order at the site for other violations.

The crane inspector arrested for falsely claiming he had inspected the crane that eventually collapsed at East 51st Street on March 15 has been tied to additional false reports. Edward Marquette pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included tampering with public records. It's unclear which cranes he is accused of faking reports for, but the Department of Buildings has been trying to crack down on crane and construction safety after the March crane collapse killed seven people and another crane collapse in May killed four.

The Department of Buildings suspended Michael Carbone, a senior DOB crane inspector, for "neglect of duty." The Post actually contacted the DOB, noting he "had cleared several complaints last year that claimed unqualified operators were working in the industry and that some of their licenses were fraudulent." In fact, a caller or callers kept complaining about crane operators not having licenses or obtaining them fraudulently. Last month, a top DOB official was arrested for giving crane operator test answers to crane companies in advance.

Yesterday, Department of Buildings acting commissioner Robert LiMandri testified before the House Education and Labor Committee and announced new ways the city would increase crane safety, including inspecting cranes when they change ownership. LiMandri also asked for more OSHA inspectors--who should also be given the power to issue stop-worker orders--noting he was "deeply troubled" by the recent crane collapse deaths, "It is simply impossible for our inspectors to be at every site at all times."

The Department of Buildings confirmed to the Daily News that it found cracks in a crane at a construction site in lower Manhattan. The crane happens to be a Kodiak tower crane owned by New York Crane & Equipment Co.--the same model and firm involved last month's fatal crane collapse at East 91st Street and First Avenue.

The East 51st Street condominium site where a crane collapsed into buildings--completely leveling a townhouse and killing seven--had its construction permit revoked. A month after the March 15 collapse, it was revealed plans for the 43-story building should never have been approved by the Department of Buildings (it's possible revised plans could still have been approved), so the developer James Kennelly was asked to resubmit plans.

Brooklyn architect and developer Robert Scarano, whose many projects have come under Department of Buildings' scrutiny in the past for safety and zoning violations, was charged with allegedly making "false or misleading statements on applications submitted" to the DOB for two buildings. From the press release:

The administrative charges are in connection with documents for two Brooklyn apartment houses that Scarano filed with the Buildings Department in 2000 and 2002. Scarano is alleged to have improperly divided a zoning lot into two smaller lots for the two new buildings, 158 Freeman Street and 1037 Manhattan Avenue, resulting in the construction of two noncompliant buildings. With the two independent zoning lots, 158 Freeman Street could not have been legally built at all as a residential building and 1037 Manhattan Avenue as designed would have been smaller by approximately 2,000 square feet.

As concerns over citywide construction-related fatalities grow, the Brooklyn DA's office has charged a site owner with manslaughter, after a worker died in a March trench collapse.

When buildings attack! Yesterday, a 50-pound piece of "decorative terracotta" fell onto a BMW parked outside a Tudor City Place building. (When buildings are telling drivers to park in car parks?)

The Department of Buildings' acting Chief Inspector for Cranes and Derricks was arrested today. James Delayo was accused of taking thousands of dollars in bribes from a crane company and falsifying reports. WNBC reports, "The city's Department of Investigation also says Delayo tampered with licensing exams by providing the answers for crane operator exams to a crane company for a fee."

Yesterday, the city announced a number of measures to crack down on unsafe contractors and prevent any more horrific accidents. So far this year, fifteen construction workers have died on the job--twelve died in all of 2007.

An insurance company executive, whose client owned the crane had once been repaired before collapsing on East 91st Street last Friday, said the Department of Buildings knew the crane's history. NationalBuilders Insurance Services executive vice president Kevin Cunningham said, "The DOB inspector certified that it was OK to go back to work."