March 15, 2008
E51st Street Crane Tragedy-Appalling Information
The Illegal permit:
The 43-story building did not conform to zoning requirements for the mostly low-rise block in Turtle Bay,
ex-commissioner Lancaster said. She blamed the error on the unnamed plan examiner. The Department spokeswoman
Kate Lindquist said the error was discovered before
the March 15 crane collapse.
WHY WAS WORK ALLOWED TO CONTINUE? WHY WAS IT GRANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
ARTICLE SITED:
NY Daily News Article
DOB Inspector Edward Marquette:
"Crane does not appear to be braced to the building," reads the report of retired contractor Bruce Silberblatt's complaint.
"Only tie backs on 5 or 6 floor but upper part which is 100 feet up is unsecured." The department sent an inspector to the site
later that day, records show. Two days later, the agency ruled that no violations were warranted.
"Crane is erected according to approved" code, reads a note on the Buildings Department Web site.
The inspector listed on the paperwork is Edward Marquette .
Reached by The News at his Manhattan home,
Marquette denied inspecting the crane that day,
saying he had been to the site only once, earlier in the project. He indicated on a Department of Buildings
"Hoist and Rigging Inspectors Route Sheet
that he had inspected the crane when in fact he had not, according to the indictment.
ARTICLES SITED:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/07/03/2008-07-03_crane_inspector_pleads_not_guilty.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/03/16/2008-03-16_contractor_warned_city_about_crane_but_w.html
DOB CHIEF INSPECTOR JAMES DELAYO:?Thanks to investigations into the DOB fueled from Edward Marquette's example,
James Delayo was charged for taking thousands of dollars in bribes to falsify inspection reports and overlook
unqualified operators. He took bribes for falsely reporting he had inspected cranes and admitted to selling copies
of the licensing exam to help potential inspectors cheat on the exams. He was promoted to acting chief of the Cranes
and Derricks Unit in March, after the first crane collapse. All of Delayo's bribes were paid by the owner or employees of a single crane company,
Department of Inspections spokesperson
Dianne Struzzi said. Struzzi declined to name the company,
but sources close to the investigation confirmed that the outfit is Nu-Way Crane Co.
of CopiagueCopiague, L.I. The company is owned by
Michael Sackaris, who was a member of the Buildings
Department's Cranes and Derricks Advisory Board,
which helps guide agency policies.
ARTICLE SITED: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/06/06/2008-0606_new_york_city_crane_inspector_charged_wi.html
Thefts from evacuated apartments:?$90,000 in jewelry, electronic equipment, cash and other items has been reported stolen from
three apartments in two buildings near the accident site, the police said. Only the offices of OEM, NYPD and NYFD were allowed
into these apartments. Doesn't the Office of Emergency Management, manage the emergency? How could they allow this to happen on
their watch??
ARTICLE SITED: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/nyregion/27loot.html?scp=1&sq=51st%20st%20crane%20accident%20looting%20&st=cse
|