May 26th - May 30th, 2008

Goldman Sachs Construction On Hold

May 27 – Construction will not resume at the Goldman Sachs building until new safety measures are put into place. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told The New York Post  Goldman has promised safety provisions that go beyond what the city building code requires. On May 17, a piece of steel fell 18 stories and landed in a baseball field while Little Leaguers were playing. No one was hurt.

Hudson River Park Trust Vote Expected

May 27- The Hudson River Park Trust board is expected to vote this week on contracts for businesses to provide services to the park. Crains reports the board is expecting a development proposal for Pier 40 from a nonprofit organization and a camp operator by the end of June.

Pier A Development Moving Forward

May 27 – The development of Pier A took a giant step this month when the Board of the Battery Park City Authority approved a proposed lease with the City. According to The Battery Park Broadsheet, discussions are underway to bring the Ellis and Liberty Island ferry landings to Pier A. An architect and an engineer have been hired by the BPCA to begin design work on the pier and assess the structure below the waterline. This summer, remediation work will begin to shore up the pier’s foundation.

Building to be Enclosed in Netting

May 28 – At the monthly meeting of Community Board 1, representatives of Goldman Sachs and Tishman construction promised to enclose their entire building in netting, to suspend weekend work for the remainder of the Little League season and use cables and braces to secure all steel plates like the one that fell in the ball field on May 17. 

Increased Wall Street Layoffs Expected

May 28- More dire predictions about job losses on Wall Street from the city’s Independent Budget Office.  The latest numbers indicate 33,000 bankers and financiers will be out of work by the middle of next year because of the subprime mortgage crisis. That’s on top of the estimated 83,000 layoffs which occurred worldwide since last July.  Of that number, 10,000 occurred in the NYC according to The New York Post.

Community Addresses Concerns

May 29 – Goldman Sachs and Tishman Construction were grilled by downtown residents and members of Community Board 1 for two hours Wednesday night. Both companies outlined 14 new safety measures that are being implemented at the Goldman Sachs construction site on West Street. Those measures include hiring additional safety supervisors, storing all construction materials at least 15 feet from the floor edges and a refresher safety course for the 900 people working on the tower.

Fire Code Revised

May 29 – The City Council approved the first new changes to the fire code in 95 years. The new code requires developers to come up with fire safety plans on construction sites. The move is in response to the fire last August at the Deutsche building which killed two firefighters.

Pier 57 to Issue RFP

May 30 – The Hudson River Park Trust is taking steps to speed the pace of construction at the 550 acre park. A new request for proposals for Pier 57 will be issued sometime over the summer according to Diana Taylor, Chairwoman of the Hudson River Park Trust.  Several published reports also say the Trust might revive the Related Company’s plan to build a permanent home for Cirque du Soleil at Pier 40.  Taylor told reporters the Trust wants to see if the Pier 40 Partnership and the Camp Group are able to come up with a proposal. Taylor predicted 80% of the construction of the park will be completed by 2010.  That includes new soccer fields, miniature golf course and a beach volleyball court in Tribeca and Chelsea. Less than half of the park has been finished since construction began in 1999.