A Towering Problem

The relationships between New Yorkers and the cranes that build their skyscrapers are tenuous at best. As the New York Times describes, people are wary of them and more so in the wake of Saturday's tragic disaster in Turtle Bay. The question is, where do we go from here? Developers are heeding orders for brand new office space at a high rate and reward their subcontractors for a speedy delivery. Unfortunately that "free market" feel can, does and will create more disasters like we saw two days ago and other various mishaps that have happened since we started erecting skyscrapers.

Well one good idea is in the works and it has everything to do with accountability. Lets face it, the Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster should go. Obviously the tragedy at Trump SoHo earlier this year wasn't enough for her and someone needs to come in and restore order with all of the contractors that work in the city.

The fact that a building collapsed all on its own up in Harlem two weeks ago is another ominous sign. If we can not have adequate supervision of new buildings in one of New York's most affluent neighborhoods, how are we supposed to expect adequate surveillance of the hundreds of thousands of buildings that are already in existence across the five boroughs? One thing is for sure, if there is anything good to come from this accident, it is that the rules change from here on out.

Trump Contractor, Dept Of Buildings Could (And Should) Be In Serious Trouble

What happened on Monday at the Trump SoHo construction site is a terrible tragedy that should have been avoided. Building violations, a ridiculous and unsafe speed of construction and the aura of the Donald has resulted in the death of what friends and co-workers describe as a smiling, happy worker and a good-natured father. Instead of this Ukrainian immigrant working for his slice of the American dream, it was lost due to the greed that surrounds Donald Trump.

From The Gothamist:

The tragic death of a construction worker at the Trump Soho building has put the spotlight on the spotty history of a contractor on the project. On Monday afternoon, a worker, Yuriy Vanchytskyy (pictured below), fell 42 stories to his death when the molds he and other workers were pouring concrete into broke, causing a collapse into lower floors.

The NY Times notes that another worker, also working for subcontractor DiFama Concrete, died when he fell 60 feet at the site of a Midtown building in 2004. Since then, the Brooklyn-based company has been "repeatedly cited for serious safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration," with 11 of 17 federal violations being "described as serious."

The Daily News has photographs from the roof (pictured) right after the collapse and reports that the Department of Buildings found the wooden forms "did not meet industry standards." Staffers from the Manhattan DA's office were seen at the building site, 246 Spring Street - apparently DA Robert Morgenthau is monitoring the city's investigation.

Obviously the Department of Buildings isn't up to do it's job. If the Manhattan DA's office has to step in, you know there's a whole lotta shit going on in the DoB that needs to be aired out for all to see. Councilman Avella is out for blood, particularly that of Patricia Lancaster who runs the DoB who did not issue a stop-work order. I wish that ugly piece of crap was never built. It has been a stain on SoHo since it was sketched out and now it is cursed as well.