St. Pat's mass for dead construction workers

Their names - typically shouted from a steel beam somewhere high along the skyline - will instead resonate gently inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

A Mass honoring the 13 construction workers killed on the job since last April is set for Monday, when a roll call of the departed will echo through the Fifth Ave. landmark.

St. Patrick's Cathedral honors 13

Relatives of the dead were expected to fill the front rows of the church, with an estimated 3,000 construction workers - in their hardhats - entering the church in a pre-Mass procession of solidarity.

Some work sites will likely close for the day to accommodate those attending the memorial.

One more time...

Manhattan City Councilman Miguel Martinez has shipped hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to a nonprofit group where his sister sits on the board of directors, a Daily News probe has found.

This fiscal year, the Council awarded the Upper Manhattan Council Assisting Neighbors $669,000 in so-called discretionary funds, of which $406,000 was sponsored by Martinez alone, records show.

Councilman sent $406G to nonprofit with sister on board

That's a big community facility

HEIGHT FIGHT VS. 'CRANE' BUILDING
By SANDERSON, NY Post

Thirty-three floors of the 43-story apartment building rising at the site of last month's deadly crane collapse would have to be turned into a "community facility" to comply with zoning rules, a neighborhood activist said yesterday.

A community facility could be a medical clinic, a church or a school, city rules say.

City officials admit they wrongly gave the green light to the project at 303 East 51st St., where a tower-crane collapse on March 15 killed seven people.

Neighbors hope to leverage the city's mistake into a deal that would halt construction of the building at its present height of 18 stories.

"If they take this thing up substantially higher, they are going to have to bring in a new tower crane," said Bruce Silberblatt, a retired construction executive and vice president of the Turtle Bay Association, which is leading a petition campaign to limit the building's height.

Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri told a state Assembly committee yesterday that he has ordered a review of the tower's zoning approval, which would guide his agency's decision on what to do about the building.

Photo from NY Times

Graves dug up at Green Church

Church's condo deal stirs grave concerns
BY MATTHEW LYSIAK
DAILY NEWS WRITER

A holy row has broken out in Brooklyn after more than 200 graves were dug up to make room for luxury condos.

Protesters gathered Thursday as the remains of 211 Methodists were moved from their resting places at a soon-to-be-demolished church to Cypress Hills Cemetery.

"This is outrageously disrespectful," said Kathleen Walker, a preservationist working to save the landmarked Bay Ridge United Methodist Church.

"I call it the church of greed," Walker railed. "The church isn't concerned about desecrating the bodies of its own congregants so long as they get their cash."

Parishioners who support the church sale and grave relocation bristled at the demonstrators, all of whom are not members of the church, as disrespectful.

"This was a solemn moment for us and to have these irrational people screaming at us is an absolute disgrace," said church pastor Robert Emerick, who held a prayer service over the remains.

The church is being shuttered because of the crippling expense of maintaining it and its crumbling limestone foundation, he said.

Developers plan to replace it with a smaller church and an apartment building in the next four months.

Demolition is expected to begin next month.

Is this really a people's victory?

Today in Sunnyside, Queens, representatives of Western Queens Power for the People were joined by Assemblymember Richard Brodsky to announce a settlement with Con Edison stemming from the nine-day blackout in western Queens. Under the terms of the settlement, residents who were affected by the blackout will receive a $100 rebate in their August or September bill, along with a written apology from Con Ed. Businesses will receive slightly more.

People 1, Con Ed 0

The settlement is unprecedented. Never before has a public utility given out a rebate without the recipients being required to fill out a form, and never before has the rebate gone directly on to the bill. This rebate also comes with no strings attached -- any resident or business owner who feels he or she should get more can still sue Con Ed.

Building boom over

The number of residential permits issued in the city in the first quarter dropped by 46% compared with the year ago period, a sign the city’s building boom is coming to an end.

The total number of permits declined to 558 from 1,038, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. All five boroughs saw significant drops, with the steepest one in the Bronx, where permits in the first three months of the year fell by 64%, to 79.

The decline follows a year in which more permits were issued citywide than in any year since 1972. Permits in Brooklyn and Queens, which reached record heights in 2007, dropped by 52% and 40% respectively in the first quarter of 2008.

When looking at permitted residential units, the number also fell 46%, to 3,893 from 7,264. The steepest drops were in Manhattan, which fell 69%, to 485 units, and Queens, which fell 62%, to 705 units. Staten Island had a 25% gain, to 238 units.

Permit plunge: End of the building boom?

Urban planning at its finest, part 7

Here is another example of urban planning at its finest, this time on Perry Avenue in Maspeth. Goodbye open space, hello, wall!

The real reason Patty was canned

You know how Bloomie hates that filthy habit...I hope she blew smoke in his turtle face on her way out the door!

Photo from Daily News

Con Ed offers $260 to each blackout victim

The exact amount of the bill credits or rebates to be offered Con Ed customers in Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside and Sunnyside was unclear yesterday.

CON ED CHUMP CHANGE

In a case before the state Public Service Commission, Con Ed offered to set aside $17 million for bill credits or rebates; compensation for food spoilage; a study of the economic damage caused by the outage; and aid for the Million Tree NYC Initiative, a city-led push to plant a million trees.

Con Ed also offered to eat $46 million it's already spent to rebuild the area's electrical network. The rebuilding expense would be charged to the company's shareholders instead of to customers.

Additionally, Con Ed offered to formally apologize in a notice on customers' bills.

Here we go again

The city has frozen nearly $1 million in funds that a Bronx city councilman sought for an obscure nonprofit group conveniently located right across the hall from his own office, The Post has learned.

SLUSHBUSTERS FREEZE POL'S COOL MILLION

Larry Seabrook, a veteran Democrat who represents Co-Op City and the northeast Bronx, tried to steer $912,244 to the Bronx African American Chamber of Commerce last year, records show.

The 11-month-old nonprofit group's literature says its mission is to aid small, minority-owned businesses and help people find jobs.

But city officials rejected the application on March 6, according to the Mayor's Office of Contracts.

Reservoir plan earns Parks a Bad Apple award

"For not yet heeding the call to preserve this unique natural setting in the heart of New York City (but with the understanding that it is not too late for a change of course), we award the Parks Department plans to develop the Ridgewood Reservoir landscape with an Earth Day 2008 Bad Apple designation." - Natural Resources Defense Council

Living in denial in Fresh Meadows

This is from AM-NY's profile of Fresh Meadows:

The sprawling, tree-lined boulevards and quaint colonial cottages that color Fresh Meadows' landscape easily recall images of the picturesque, suburban American Dream.

Just a hop, skip and a bus ride away from Manhattan's chaos, Fresh Meadows is an unexpected relief from all of New York's big-city living.

Along Union Turnpike, the main drag, you'll find more commercial appeal with lots of shops, restaurants and, of course, traffic. But the rest of the town seems to have evolved little since its days as rural farmland in the 18th and 19th centuries, with tall, gnarled oak trees, ample flora and wide-open spaces.

"It's the best -- it's like country living in the city," said Steve Sciortino, resident and longtime co-owner of the local pizzeria, Fresh Meadows Pizza. "You have a lot of space and it's very scenic."

"It's just a really peaceful community within striking distance of what the city has to offer," said Rich Rinaldi, a Long Island police officer who's lived in Fresh Meadows nearly all his life. "It's a suburban setting within New York City."

Perhaps these folks haven't noticed that their neighborhood has gone to hell:

Fresh Meadows frightfest

Fresh Meadows crapscape

Demo row in Fresh Meadows

Fresh (pile of crap) Meadows

Fresh Meadows before & after

Ah, well I won't be the one to break it to them.

Scaffold accident at Lincoln Center

Worker Hurt in Lincoln Center Fall
By THE NEW YORK TIMES

A construction worker at Lincoln Center was hospitalized after falling 30 feet from a scaffold on Wednesday night, according to the police and officials at the performing arts complex.

The worker, who was not identified by the officials, was working on Lincoln Center’s extensive redevelopment project.

The police said they received several 911 calls just after 9 p.m. notifying them that the man was unconscious and bleeding from the head. He was taken to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he was listed in stable condition, the police said.

Turner Construction, which is overseeing the project, “is participating in a review of the circumstances surrounding the fall and is cooperating fully with the Department of Buildings,” according to a statement released by Lincoln Center on Wednesday night.

Press officials from the city’s Buildings Department did not respond to a message or a page left late Wednesday.

On April 14, a construction worker died in a fall at an East Side building, after his safety strap failed. And in January, a construction worker fell to his death in Brooklyn.

"Intensive, in-depth assessment" of high-risk sites

Buildings Department To Access High-Risk Sites
By Staff Reporter of the Sun

One day after buildings commissioner Patricia Lancaster resigned, her replacement, acting commissioner Robert LiMandri, said his department would launch a $4 million "intensive, in-depth assessment" of high-risk construction sites in New York City. The Department of Buildings will bring in outside engineers to assess randomly selected sites with high-rise concrete operations, excavations, or crane operations in their construction. "This year we have seen an increase in accidents and injuries related to high-risk construction activities, and we must make sure that as construction activity in the City continues to increase, the Department's ability to hold the construction industry to higher safety standards keeps pace," Mr. LiMandri, said in a statement.

Hey Bob, in this city, they're all high-risk!

Como holds fundraiser at Pinky's watering hole

Thank you Daily News for bringing us this invitation. Interesting choice of venue, considering that this is one of ex-Councilman Gallagher's favorite watering holes and he allegedly recruited one of their barmaids to be his staff member. Glad to see Como continuing a Queens GOP tradition. By the way - "community activist" - since when?

(BTW - that website doesn't work)

St. John's dorm construction a complete fiasco

This was the original condition of the grounds from the beginning.
Shows the filling of the drywells - which remained constantly flooded with water until they received the "sewer repair" permit - its safe to assume that they were funneling the water into the sanitation sewers.
The tankers used to drain the water. Despite the supposed installation of 16 drywells, the sides of the foundation is still flooded with water - we don't have a storm drainage system.

Dear Public Advocate Gotbaum;

We would like to bring to your attention a condition that is of great concern to many Jamaica Estates residents. We reside in close proximity to the Saint John’s University Henley Road dormitory facility in Jamaica Estates, Queens that is under construction at the present time. This site has been plagued with constant flooding regardless of whether it rains or not. We have witnessed the use of numerous oil tankers removing huge amounts of water only to have the flood return the following morning. Our layperson’s interpretation of the situation is, that the builders excavated below the water table, and this in conjunction with the fact that our community has underground streams, and years ago a fairly large lake existed adjacent to the dormitory site exacerbate this condition. Recently the builders were pouring concrete into this flooded site, a construction faux pas that could very well compromise the foundation of the building. This was followed by numerous failed waterproofing attempts, as sheet after sheet of soaked waterproofing material detached from the foundation walls.

It is important to note that the construction of this “community facilities project”, self certified by Architect Ramy Issac, proceeded without a community impact study. If this condition is manifesting itself early in the life of this project, I can only imagine the health issues water, mold and mildew will cause unsuspecting students in the future. It is disconcerting to think that this construction, partially financed by dormitory bonds and tax payer’s money, is allowed to proceed regardless of how many lives it endangers.

I hope that the City Council will consider including guidelines for new construction so abatement issues will not be necessary and we can live without mold related illnesses.

In addition, we welcome any assistance that you can afford us in addressing this matter. The Concerned Residents of Jamaica Estates have kept an accurate log as well video footage, documenting the issues discussed above.

Thanking you in advance,
The Concerned Residents of Jamaica Estates

Something smells rotten at Union Square

A coalition of community groups and parks advocates who brought the lawsuit say the city needs to get approval from the state legislature before privatizing part of the park, which has long been a flashpoint for protests and rallies.

...parks advocate Geoffrey Croft says the new restaurant “would take away the opportunity to reclaim thousands of square feet of additional play space in a community with the lowest amount of playground space and highest concentration of restaurants in the city.”

Opponents also speculate that restaurateur Danny Meyer, owner of Union Square's Coffee Shop and Madison Square Park's Shake Shack, is heavily favored for the Pavilion restaurant contract – perhaps a too-cozy arrangement because Meyer is also co-chair of the Union Square Partnership’s Local Development Corporation, which is financing much of the project.

The Parks Department is also planning to cut down approximately 14 mature trees, so a protest rally is planned for Arbor Day in Union Square, this Friday at 6 p.m.

Judge Halts City's Union Square Development

So, since we're investigating the City Council and the Department of Buildings, why not open an investigation into the Parks Department? They're going to cut down 14 trees here. I guess the million trees initiative is suspended for now.

Photo from Gothamist

St. Saviour's gone to the dogs

Looks like St. Saviour's now has some guard dogs. Actually, they belong to the owner of Sano Construction. More photos here.

Earth Day interview

Remember when Azi Paybarah and Dan Hendrick were Queens weekly reporters? Well, they held a reunion yesterday. How sweet.

Lancaster resignation wrapup

New York Times:
For more than 200 years, the department has been plagued by allegations ranging from the dastardly to the absurd. Plumbing inspectors have been charged with taking bribes. Consultants have set up get-aways for influential councilmen. A deputy commissioner was once indicted for accepting an illegal gift of wine.

As the agency responsible for overseeing the roughly $12 billion in annual private construction in the city, the Buildings Department is clearly echt New York — at least as echt as the Police Department or the Fire Department, which, of course, have both had troubles of their own. What seems to distinguish Buildings from the others, though, is not the severity or frequency of the problems, experts say, but its ostensible invulnerability to reform.

Agency With a History of Graft and Corruption

Daily News:
The general consensus seems to be that the departure of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster today, while a welcome development in many corners, is hardly going to make a dent in the myriad of perceived problems at the beleaguered agency.

DOB Problems Just Begun

Gowanus Lounge:
On Monday, Mayor Bloomberg said ""I don’t think anybody should be fully satisfied with the Department of Buildings’ performance." The statement was disingenuous at best and self-servingly cynical at worst. The construction boom and DOB's laissez faire attitude have happened under Mr. Bloomberg's watch and the placement of the agency under former Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff's purview for most of his administration symbolized the back seat that regulating building took to encouraging development. The city's worst kept secret for much of the last six years has been the fact that DOB was expected not to interfere in major ways with development. If this meant looking the other way while safety, work hour and other regulations were violated with impunity, well, that was a small price for one of the biggest building booms in New York history.

GL Analysis: Patty Lancaster is Gone, Now What?

Lost New York:
That statement, the oft-quoted "I don’t think anybody should be fully satisfied with the Department of Buildings’ performance," was weasely, back-stabbing, scapegoating, political double-speak at its worst. It was bottom-of-the-barrel stuff and anyone who's a student of the political art would recognize it as such. You can bet as Lancaster watched Mayor Mike utter that line on television, she was muttering "son of a bitch" under her breath. Bloomberg was plenty satisfied the Lancaster and the DOB—it was doing exactly what he wanted it to do, with as little money as he chose to give it—until its corrupt performance began to impinge on his image as an infallible leader.

Lancaster, the Scapegoat

The Real Deal:
Robert LiMandri, the first deputy commissioner for operations at the city's Buildings Department will head the department on an interim basis now that commissioner Patricia Lancaster, has resigned.

LiMandri, an engineer, has worked at the department since 2002 and oversees its enforcement and forensic work. Bloomberg spokesperson Stu Loeser told The Real Deal that LiMandri will manage the department with the mayor's confidence.

LiMandri tapped as interim DOB head