By Josh Rogers
Preparation work needed to resume dismantling the former Deutsche Bank is expected to begin soon with a general agreement between 11 governmental agencies responsible for the building’s safety.
The new interim agreement follows the Aug. 18 blaze that killed two firefighters. The plan was revealed Tuesday at a meeting convened by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. He said the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the building’s owner, has taken major steps toward coming up with a safer plan.
“We are a long way there,” Silver said in a telephone interview. Since the fire, the speaker has convened several private meetings with Avi Schick, the L.M.D.C.’s chairperson, but Silver has opened them up to local residents and Community Board 1 members, who had warned the L.M.D.C. repeatedly about the project’s safety over the last few years.
The L.M.D.C. has agreed to open two emergency fire stairways in the building, reseal the building within three weeks to prevent toxic contaminants from escaping, and to pay for a “24-7 presence in the building,” Schick’s words to describe the addition of at least one safety expert during off-hours. He said Wednesday he had no idea how much the new safety measures would cost.
Similar to the previous private meetings, there were differing interpretations as to what was agreed to Tuesday. Silver and three residents left with the impression that all agencies had signed off on the plan and that it would include ridding the building of toxic materials before any demolition would resume, but both beliefs turned out to be less than entirely true.
Schick told reporters the next day that the development corporation was “leaning heavily” toward completing the cleanup before demolition, but “we have not made a final decision.”
He said there are safety advantages to doing one thing at a time. Board 1 and environmental activists have favored this approach to reduce the risks of contamination.
Dep. Mayor Ed Skyler and the U.S. Dept. of Environmental Protection Agency disputed Schick’s contention that all agencies had signed off on the interim plan.
Skyler said E.P.A. officials have not signed off but “are supportive of the plan. They have concerns that we need to work through.”
Bonnie Bellow, an E.P.A. spokesperson, said there are unresolved “technical details” which she did not specify, but the L.M.D.C. has the go ahead to begin the interim plan to reseal the building. She said the details can be worked out as the plan proceeds over the next few weeks.
Julie Menin, C.B. 1’s chairperson, said it is disturbing that there is still not full consensus on the environmental plan. “That’s troubling,” she said. “We cannot have any more back and forth from them on this.”
Bovis Lend Lease, the L.M.D.C.’s contractor, is expected to begin the interim plan to reseal the building and open the stairways any day now. Residents thought it would begin Wednesday, but an L.M.D.C. spokesperson said they did not know how long it would take.
Resuming the demolition work remains uncertain. Officials are sill trying to figure out a new plan to do it. Once they do, Bovis can negotiate a fee with a subcontractor. Bovis executives said a few weeks ago that they are talking to subcontractors about demolition work, but they can’t talk prices until they know what the new work will entail. Bovis removed John Galt Corp. from the job after numerous fire and safety violations, although Bovis had also been cited by the city Buildings Dept. and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Kimberly Flynn and other residents said there were many positive developments at this week’s meeting, but it is still unclear why all of the government inspectors on the site will do a better job monitoring the project now than they did before.
To that question, Silver said the officials in charge know missteps will not go unnoticed. “Everybody feels they are on the hot seat and they are being watched more closely,” he said.
On Wednesday, Skyler outlined how the city will improve its community notification plan for Deutsche and other emergencies around the city. He said that in October, there will be a new email notification system for Deutsche run by the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
By the end of the year, the city hopes to have a text message alert system in place. Some time next year the city wants to begin a pilot “reverse 911 system” in one neighborhood, whereby automatic phone messages would be sent to everyone in the area.
He said there are limits to both ideas. The city’s phone lines do not have the capacity to make massive amount of calls particularly in an emergency, when phones are in greater use. Text messages are currently sent as a low priority by cell phone carriers so they could take a day to be transmitted in an emergency.
The city also wants to utilize existing technology to broadcast cell phone messages in a particular area, but carriers are also resisting that idea, Skyler said.
Councilmember Alan Gerson and his colleagues praised the exploration into new technologies, but encouraged Skyler not to ignore old-fashioned methods, particularly for senior citizens. Gerson wanted to know what Skyler would do for “Mrs. McGillicutty,” a fictitious woman whom Gerson described at length as a senior who relies on snail mail, sometimes watches television, and has special health needs.
“I think the short answer is, if you give me her number, I will contact her directly,” Skyler said. He then said the media plays a vital role in getting emergency information to the public quickly in an emergency.
Josh@DowntownExpress.com
