The 63 new inspectors’ jobs will be paid for out of new funds, made available out of the the mayor’s 2009 executive budget. The new appointments will bring the number of construction inspectors in the city to 461. The new inspectors will be used to support Phase 3 of the department’s Special Enforcement Plan (SEP).
This phase of the SEP includes three main projects: a construction monitoring programme, a violation re-inspection team, and a sidewalk shed electrical safety programme. The first two projects included in the plan include elements that respond directly to criticisms made in the wake of the East 51st Street accident, which killed seven people.
According to a joint statement issued by the mayor and the acting commissioner, under the construction monitoring programme will buildings inspectors will conduct more safety inspections during the course of construction for any given building to verify that actual construction matches approved plans and complies with code and zoning regulations.
In the aftermath of the East 51st Street accident, residents complained that the building that the crane was working on didn’t match that had been submitted to the department. Acting commissioner LiMandri responded to these complaints in a statement issued shortly after the new appointments were announced: “The Buildings Department initially permitted the development at 303 East 51st Street as a residential tower. Prior to the accident on March 15, 2008, and at the request of the developer, the Department was in the midst of a review of the zoning approvals that had been granted for the site.
“Zoning regulations allow for a large tower to be constructed on the lot under certain conditions. The building can lawfully be as high as 40 storeys or more, depending on how the owner configures the project. However, revised plans must be submitted that comply with all applicable laws before construction will be permitted to continue. Today the Department put the developer on notice that the permit for the proposed new building will be revoked if the developer fails to take steps to address the identified objections within 10 business days. Construction at the site remains halted.”
The SEP will also tackle another fault found after the accident, that Edward J Marquette, a department of buildings inspector, had allegedly filed a false report, saying that he checked a violation, when he had not, in fact, visited the site. Marquette has been arrested over the charges, and is awaiting trial.
Under the second part of the SEP, a new violation re-inspection team, consisting of five inspectors, three managers and support staff, will conduct follow-up inspections of properties where individuals fail to certify that the violating condition has been corrected.
The violation re-inspection team will also audit sites through unannounced visits where individuals have certified that the violating condition has been corrected in order to verify that the necessary work has been completed properly. Individuals found to have fraudulently certified that action has been taken to correct violations will be referred to the appropriate parties for further investigation and may be subject to criminal court summonses.
