DOB Flunks Comptroller's Audit
The Comptroller’s office issued a report on an audit of the Department of Buildings that found the DOB has failed to properly reinspect many construction sites it had deemed hazardous. “It is simply unacceptable that D.O.B. has permitted buildings with multiple open hazardous violations to go un-inspected for years,” said Comptroller Bill Thompson in a…
The Comptroller’s office issued a report on an audit of the Department of Buildings that found the DOB has failed to properly reinspect many construction sites it had deemed hazardous. “It is simply unacceptable that D.O.B. has permitted buildings with multiple open hazardous violations to go un-inspected for years,” said Comptroller Bill Thompson in a statement. “Even by DOB’s admission, these are the worst cases, yet it has stood by and let the violations go unchecked and put New Yorkers at risk. The Department of Buildings’ violation enforcement is crucial to ensuring that buildings in the city are being constructed safely and pose no risks to area residents.” The report includes 11 recommendations for how the DOB can improve its reinspection tactics. First response from neighborhood groups to the audit findings comes out of Queens: “City Comptroller Bill Thompson identified the magnitude of concerns consistently raised by Queens Civic Congress, Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance and Historic Districts Council,” said Corey B. Bearak, President of Queens Civic Congress, in a press release. And Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council, noted that “it’s good to see our elected officials confirming what we in the community have known for years—that the Buildings Department is broken and needs to be fixed.”
Audit Says Follow-Up on Buildings Is Lacking [NY Times]
PDF: Audit Report [nyc.gov]
Photo by ddunleavy.
Amen. Put the DOB into whatever the equivalent of receivership would be. Since Bloomberg’s trying to establish himself as a master executive and his admin as a paragon of efficiency, this would be a black eye and get some real action right quick.
I saw on the local news last night the Feds are coming to do inspections on several sites. Maybe they’ll deal with the corruption.
They continue to approve work and issue C of Os for buildings that violate zoning and building codes.
They often don’t inspect work that has been done before signing off on the work.
They have proven to be full of corrupt individuals, even at the top tiers of their chain of management.
They don’t respond when illegal work that negatively affects quality of life is reported.
They…
Ironically the the offices of the Manhattan DOB have 6 hazardous (LL 11/98) violations that are active but were “written off.” Not only that but they are occupying the building contrary to the building’s temporary CO; to date though, it seems the DOB has refused to write itself a violation.
Juicy bits near the end of this post:
http://musingsonpoint.blogspot.com/2008/06/department-ofyouve-got-to-be-shitting.html