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Deutsche Bank Building
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Speaking to community members and Community Board 1 on Tuesday, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) representatives presented an eagerly awaited study about the cleaning and deconstruction of 130 Liberty Street, previously owned by Deutsche Bank. The study was the first in a series of "characterizations" to determine how to best bring down the building without compromising local air quality.
The building is the only one bordering the World Trade Center site that has remained virtually untouched since the September 11, 2001 attacks, as a result of Deutsche Bank's insurance-claim delays. The LMDC completed its purchase of the 40-story tower on August 31, 2004, and plans to deconstruct the building beginning this fall and ensure that the building is brought down in an environmentally sensitive manner.
The LMDC hired a team of environmental consultants, led by Louis Berger Group, to determine which, if any, building materials may contain hazardous elements -- namely, asbestos, mold, and potentially harmful metals called "analytes" (which include mercury, lead, and chromium). The resulting study provides a new perspective on the state of the structure, which had previously been studied both by Deutsche Bank and its insurance companies for the purposes of litigation.
The study shows that minimal amounts of asbestos were found in the building's insulation and exterior caulking; dust throughout the building also showed trace amounts of asbestos. Mold was found on five different floors in the building through a visual inspection, though more investigative sampling will take place in coming weeks.
Mindful of the downtown community's great interest in the building's deconstruction, the LMDC will make the study's complete, raw data available in hard-copy form for the public to read, along with data and analysis from earlier building-materials studies. It has also posted the complete study on its website -- www.renewnyc.com-- along with biographies of the consultants it has hired, data tables, FAQs, and a comment and registration page where people also can sign up for email updates.
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| 130 Liberty Street suffered a 15-foot gash in its side during the collapse of 2 WTC on 9/11 |
With the initial study now complete, the LMDC begins the 30-day public comment period, which will last through October 13. The agency also will host a public presentation of the study on Thursday, September 23, to gather feedback and answer questions.
So far, the public has shown greatest concern about the practical issues of the deconstruction, such as active work hours and street closures, as well as logistics about construction vehicles' fuel emissions and ways to limit dust and mold from entering the air.
During the public comment period, the LMDC continues to collect and analyze samples of building materials inside walls and ducts and adhered to its exterior. Results of these more advanced tests will help the LMDC's deconstruction crew, headed by Gilbane Building Company, determine how best to seal the building, safely empty its contents, and eventually demolish the structure entirely.
The LMDC plans to begin the deconstruction this fall, possibly as early as November, and complete the process in 2005.
The public information session will take place Thursday, September 23, 2004. A"meet-and-greet" hour will take place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the presentation will being at 6 p.m. The session will be held at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at the Borough of Manhattan Community College 199 Chambers Street (at Greenwich Street).
Hard copies of the studies are available to the public weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the LMDC offices, which are located at One Liberty Plaza (Liberty Street at Broadway) on the 20th floor. Appointments are recommended; please call (212) 962-2300 or visit www.renewnyc.com.
For additional information, please contact Kate Millea, community liaison, by email, (kmillea@renewnyc.com); phone, (212) 962-2300; or fax, (212) 962-2431.
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