A Queens man is livid after inspectors flagged him for a giant sinkhole that opened under his lawn after Wednesday’s rainstorms, calling the violation he was given unfair.
When he noticed the 20-foot deep fissure Thursday morning, Julio Colon says the first thing he did was call the city.
“I tried to do the right thing and it blew up in my face,” said Colon, a contractor by trade, who said that instead of helping, Buildings Department pencil pushers wrote him a violation. “I could have had this full already.”
Inspectors cited his “failure to maintain,” the property even though they noted the ditch was most likely caused by the remnants of an ancient cesspool.
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From later in the article:
Reps from the city pointed out that there is no fine directly associated with the violation, and that the sinkhole was on Colon’s property — not the city’s.
“That’s what the city does,” said Colon, who estimates the violation’s requirements will cost him a several thousand dollars. “Instead of rewarding you for doing the right thing, they punish you.”
Is the city 'punishing' him by making him fix the hole responsibly? Was he expecting the city to fix his property for free? Was the 'right thing' not doing a shoddy job that could negatively affect neighboring properties or city infrastructure?
You can't teach common sense and you Can NOT fix stupid. The DOB agent should be fired, no questions asked !!!
I-D-I-O-T
Inspectors cited his “failure to maintain,” the property.
Really, because they certainly do not utilize "failure to maintain" the property in Jamaica or other parts of Queens.
When police, traffic agents and code enforcement people are given "productivity targets," I suspect it is only the actual issuance of summonses that is counted. Were they to count summonses with points deducted for adverse outcomes before judges, then you would see many fewer summonses like these.
This article states the homeowner is a contractor by trade ? Seems he should know better than to call a city agency that enforces the building code that contractors routinely violate. Seems he holds a grudge because he knew the media would be all over this. Does he expect taxpayers foot the bill for defects on private property ? Fix the problem then sue like everyone else.
"This article states the homeowner is a contractor by trade ? Seems he should know better than to call a city agency that enforces the building code that contractors routinely violate."
I totally agree. Calling the city is the last thing you do if it involves any kind of damage incurred to your property. These bloodsuckers are looking for any excuse to slap you with a fine.
What was his expectation of what "help" he would receive by "contacting the city"?
What part of "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" does he not get?
Likely and old forgotten brick cesspool caved in. These are usually marked on the deed survey and require filling in.
When they go you usually don't see the bricks (they fall first and you only see a hole) - Very dangerous to have on a property. There may be some vagrant who was stumbling around the property drunk at night dead inside it.
'These bloodsuckers are looking for any excuse to slap you with a fine.'
What fine?
From the article:
'Reps from the city pointed out that there is no fine directly associated with the violation'
There's probably a fine if he doesn't repair it responsibly. But he has a responsibility to do so, so no problem there.
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