Friday, April 13, 2007

Avella pool saga continues

Tony Avella is still battling the Department of Buildings over a violation they issued to him for having his backyard above-ground pool too close to the fence:

Pol Says DOB Off the Deep End With Pool Regs

Councilman Fights City Over His Own Violation

City issues Avella ticket on pool

Avella Attacks DOB, Bars Trib From Meet

Tony Avella Zones Out On Pool Violation

If they were only this serious about illegal building construction, we'd be in pretty good shape!

Photo from Queens Ledger

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is a solution. If DOB receives a complaint against a homeowner, DOB must: (A) collect and retain all identifying data of the caller - name, address, phone, etc. (B) require an affidavit be signed by the complainant, (C) after a REQUIRED on-site inspection that proves the complaint was false, reveal to the homeowner all identifying information on the complainant, and (D) prosecute the false complainer.

This will reduce the "vengeance" complaints, and free up inspectors to promptly respond to complaints against developers.

As for the Tribune, the reporters could very easily have obtained all information online by simply entering Avella's address onto the DOB website. So, the editorial has a smell of unseemly jeering and sneering.

KRM said...

I just came back from a breakfast at New York Law School, where the commissioner of the Department of Investigations, Rose Gill Hearn, spoke of the DOI's progress in investigating corruption in the DOB. Funny, if her department has had so much success, why are there still so many violations. She had argued that a lot of the lesser complaints of corruption are set aside or refered to other departments, I wonder if those complaints of corruption in Queens are considered to be the lesser complaints. That would certainly explain the prevalance of zoning and building violations in Queens...

Anonymous said...

Go get 'em Tony. Don't take that crap!

Anonymous said...

Way to go Tony. How dare the DOB follow-up on a complaint against you. After all, you are suppose expose all the "other" violators of the DOB laws, rules, etc.How dare they think that you can be held to the same standards as us mere mortals. Don't they know you are the champion of DOB enforcement.

Anonymous said...

It would be greatly appreciated if someone could direct us to the appropriate section of the Zoning Resolution or the Building Code where the swimming pool rule can be found. I have been unable to find any rule that says that a swimming pool must be five feet from the lot line of a one-family property.

Thank you.

Queens Crapper said...

Check the comments in the previous post about this issue for links to the regs.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone read the regulations for the siting of a pool? They say nothing about the distance from a lot line for a one-family home!

Anonymous said...

Yes, it does:

"The pool must be located at least five feet from any lot line, unless the lot itself is less than 25 feet wide. In that case, the pool may be located at least three feet from the side yard lot line and must be screened from the adjoining lots by a six-foot-high fence that is continuous, solid and opaque."

Anonymous said...

The scum that like to go after Council Member Tony Avella on meaningless things like this are the filthy dirty corrupt politicians who know that Avella can't be bought.

QC please post a list of all those slimy pols.

Avella is making them look bad so they are out to get him.

Anonymous said...

When Dennis Curran worked for DOI....14 DOB building inspectors were arrested in a bribery scam sometime in the early 1990s!

Let's see some more of this kind of investigation followed by quick action now!

Give DOB an enema!