City Council Proposes New Blasting Law

NY 1, Manhattan

Manhattan
	Lawmakers, Residents Call For More Oversight Of Building Demolitions
August 15, 2007 A construction boom is sweeping across the city, but it has also been affecting the quality of life in the five boroughs. In the wake of a major wall collapse in Manhattan, city lawmakers are proposing safety measures for construction sites which have permits to use explosives. NY1’s Sandra Endo filed the following report. Last month's wall collapse at a construction site on the Upper West Side is raising concern. “The blasts are outrageous,” said one Upper West Side resident. “Not only do you hear it, you feel it.” Residents Wednesday joined forces with city lawmakers to crack down on development sites which use explosives to gain more ground. They say blasting away rock is a recipe for disaster. “The day of the collapse the blasts were so big you could be on 95th and Columbus and you were frightened out of your skin,” said another resident. Lawmakers plan to introduce a bill next month to put more safety measures in place. It would require agencies to work together to coordinate massive construction work being done at one time in one neighborhood and create more oversight on developers using explosives on site. “If the blasting doesn't happen in the appropriate way, if the affects of the blasting is not assessed by city government, if person who is not qualified does it, real tragedy can occur,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. This new legislation would require developers to put up more warning signs all throughout the neighborhood and also the fire department would have to give out prior written notification to community boards and area residents. The fire department is in charge of issuing blasting permits, which are good for three years. Lawmakers want to limit that to three months. Both the FDNY and the Department of Buildings say they will review the legislation when it's introduced next month. -Sandra Endo