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The building is expected to be deconstructed by Fall 2009
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Thursday night’s public meeting on the revised deconstruction and safety plans for 130 Liberty Street brought both general and very specific comments. New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver hosted the meeting alongside Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) officials and other federal, state, and city regulators, as well as Community Board 1.
The meeting began with LMDC Chairman Avi Schick reporting that the building has been abated and cleared by regulators down to the 4th floor, and the facade has been removed to floor 12. He said that the cleaning of floors 1 through 3 should be complete by late April 2009, with deconstruction to begin in May.
“We’re working very hard to hold the contractors and subcontractors to the schedules they have agreed to,” said Schick.
The deconstruction subcontractor, LVI Services, then reviewed the decontamination and deconstruction plan, which was posted online on February 18th. Emphasizing safety above all else, LVI Manager James Mooney walked the public through the specific steps being taken to ensure efficient deconstruction work, outlined in the “Emergency Health and Safety Plan.” It includes professional engineers stationed at the areas of deconstruction at all times, as well as fire-watch and dedicated safety monitors. A master rigger will oversee crane operations, with the city Department of Buildings ensuring reasonable work hours and constant noise monitoring at the building.
Air monitoring will continue during deconstruction, with assistance from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state Department of Labor (DOL) and city Department of Environmental Protection. The project’s independent environmental monitor, TRC, oversees 12 stationary monitors at the building.. Officials noted that recent exceedances of silica levels and manganese caused by welding have been addressed. The EPA’s World Trade Center Coordinator Pat Evangelista said that the “trigger levels” for such exceedances are set to allow for emergency response before potential contaminants can become harmful.
Community members inquired about dust control at the site, especially related to use of the concrete crusher at the building’s north-side plaza. Mooney said that due to its size, the crusher could not be used in the basement and will be used outdoors to break up the concrete floor slabs as they are removed, and that water misting will be used at all times to suppress dust, which will be absorbed by the crushed concrete largely reducing runoff.
He also said that the master rigger will ensure that the crane removes debris safely from upper floors, lowered to the ground in “skip bucket” containers that will not be overloaded.
Fire Department officials also attended the meeting and will ensure that safety meetings and on-site inspections continue, including regular tests of the building’s fire standpipe. The state Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration also have direct roles enforcing worker-safety requirements.
Based on current progress, the building is expected to be fully deconstructed in the Fall of 2009.
Ongoing 130 Liberty Street project updates are available by subscribing to “e-updates” at www.renewnyc.com, and by visiting http://twitter.com/LMDC.
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