Boarding up a squatter's paradise

From the Times Newsweekly:

City officials are being urged by Community Board 5 to take action to stabilize a vacant multi-family home in Ridgewood which reportedly has fallen into disrepair and poses a safety hazard to neighbors.

The Times Newsweekly was pro vided with a letter sent last Thursday, Apr. 5, by District Manager Gary Giordano to Ira Gluckman, Queens borough commissioner for the De partment of Buildings, requesting that the agency address an “emergency condition” at the vacant dwelling lo cated at 71 07 Fresh Pond Rd.

Giordano stated that a resident liv ing adjacent to the building has reached out to Board 5 on two separate occasions in recent weeks regarding squalid conditions at the abandoned building. Reportedly, part of a rear wall of the structure has been compromised.

It is also believed that the structure is infested with rodents which have subsequently spread into adjoining buildings, the district manager told this paper in a phone interview.

In his letter to Gluckman, Giordano pointed out that the board contacted the DOB previously and were told that “the owner of record has not taken any action to remedy the problem. The [DOB] may forward the case to HPD (Department of Housing Preservation and Development) to contract the work at the owner’s expense.”

The Times Newsweekly contacted the DOB seeking further comment; a spokesperson stated that the HPD is currently in the process of working to seal up the building. Netting will also be installed on the façade to protect neighboring properties from falling debris.

Queens DOB Commish offers safety advice

From the Times Ledger:

Ira Gluckman, Queens borough commissioner for the city Department of Buildings, donned a hard hat and rode a hoist to the 14th floor of a building under construction at 37-14 Prince St. in Flushing last Thursday.

The trip was part of Site Safety Week, an effort by the department to raise awareness about construction worker protections across the city.

Visiting a different work site in a different borough each day last week, Gluckman reminded workers at the tower to follow safety guidelines and laws and use safety equipment at all times.

“Safety is the primary concern. Sure, we want to get things built, but safety is the No. 1 thing,” he told workers, who put down their saws and nail guns and gathered in a partly finished apartment. “We want everyone to be able to go home every night to their families and to collect a paycheck and to be able to return to work in the morning.”

The first five floors of the building will be retail, including a one-floor daycare center, and the top 10 will be residential housing, either apartments or condominiums.

Gluckman, whose words were also translated into Chinese because most of the workers did not speak English, emphasized the need for workers to wear hardhats, which he called their first line of defense, and to make sure they use harnesses properly when on upper floors. He also went over basic rules such as not smoking on-site, getting help from co-workers for heavy lifting and ensuring proper lighting.

Why is Ira Gluckman, the Queens Commissioner, visiting sites in each borough? And considering his past safety record, is he really the best person to teach others about safety?

Was this site intentionally chosen because of its poor safety history? I mean, damn, look at those numbers!