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Building code enforcement is the difference between life and death

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Editorial  Posted in The Sunday Journal News May 2, 2021
By Ken Zebrowski and James Skoufis

During every fire emergency across New York State, the difference between life and death for a resident or first responder is directly related to building code inspections and enforcement. These inspections — that may otherwise seem mundane or perfunctory — are a cloak of safety to firefighters during a chaotic and smoke-filled emergency. Volunteer and paid firefighters are trained to tackle the unpredictability of flames but, when they recently responded to a major fire that broke out at Motty’s Supermarket in Monsey, the unpredictability of the building itself became the biggest challenge. Firefighters were faced with a building that had been illegally altered causing confusion and exacerbating an already dangerous situation. Fortunately, firefighters made quick and tactful decisions and were able to evacuate everyone before the entire building collapsed. [Read more…]

‘How many more body bags do we need?’

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BLAZE AT MONSEY GROCERY STORE WITH A HISTORY OF CODE VIOLATIONS UNDERSCORED DANGERS OF LAX ENFORCEMENT IN RAMAPO

“When he arrived at the Motty’s Supermarket fire in Monsey shortly after noon on Feb. 18, the swirling snow was the least of Monsey Fire Chief Andrew Schlissel’s problems.

The fire had a head start and — as is too often the case in Ramapo, where code-enforcement lacks teeth — the building had secrets.

Over the years, owners had built out the structure without filing required permits or seeking certificates of occupancy. Decades of violations had been chronicled by inspectors, but little was done to remedy the issues. Fire crews couldn’t see the two shipping containers that had been added to the back of the original store. [Read more…]

Ramapo and Mount Vernon demonstrate the dire need for stronger building code enforcement

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Senator James Skoufis
Photo: Carucha L. Meuse/ The Journal News

The Journal News  “Senate probe of New York’s building codes zeroes in on two municipalities with terrible reputations: Mount Vernon, where a lone inspector handles the entire city, and Ramapo, where lax enforcement has led volunteer firefighters and the County of Rockland to step in.

“The key takeaway from this investigation is that there has been a systematic failure to adequately prioritize code enforcement at all levels of government,” said state Sen. James Skoufis, who leads the Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations.

He said his panel’s seven-month deep dive looked at “what is working, what is not working and where we need to focus on prioritization of code enforcement in the State of New York.”

And Mount Vernon and Ramapo were repeatedly cited in the report for failures.  [Read more…]

Rockland marks 4th year of housing crackdown, focusing on cleanup violations

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“As Rockland County government marked the fourth year of its crackdown on slum housing, Jennifer Rivera said Friday that she pays $520 a month rent for a tiny bedroom inside a rundown, violation-plagued house on Fairview Avenue.

As Health Department inspectors walked through the house with hopes of forcing the landlord to clean it up, Rivera said she and 11 other people live with rats, mice, and other animals entering though the attic and wood flooring softened by moisture.

Inspectors have cited the manager/owner Moshe Landau for 48 violations of the county sanitary code, including operation of an illegal boarding house, exposed piping and wires, mold and chipped paint, and garbage on the front lawn.” [Read more…]

State hearing rips Ramapo for lackluster code, fire safety enforcement

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Gordon Wren inspecting housing

Gordon Wren Jr. Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News

“Ramapo officials and state code watchdogs came under criticism Thursday for lackluster enforcement and bending to special interests during a state Senate hearing in Newburgh.

Gordon Wren Jr., the county’s retired emergency services coordinator who chairs the grassroots watchdog group CUPON Rockland, led the critique along with state Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, and, to a lesser degree, Rockland Deputy Health Commissioner Catherine Johnson Southern, who oversees enforcement of the county sanitary code under the Rockland Codes Initiative.

The hearing was held in Newburgh Armory before the Senate’s Investigations and Government Operations Committee, which is chaired by Democrat James Skoufis, whose district includes Stony Point and Haverstraw. [Read more…]

Airmont: Judge tosses Hasidic congregation’s legal action against village

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Congregation’s legal action against Airmont is dismissed by state judge

“An acting state judge rejected an Orthodox Jewish congregation’s legal action claiming Airmont violated its own zoning laws involving a synagogue hit with violations during a village wide building moratorium.

Mayor Philip Gigante applauded the village’s vindication in state Supreme Court, as he also has denied allegations made in two separate federal lawsuits claiming the village discriminates against Orthodox and Hasidic Jews.

The congregation’s legal action – called an Article 78 – has nothing to do with the two civil rights lawsuits. [Read more…]

Ramapo delays closing yeshiva despite getting court order

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“Even after a state judge signed the town’s request to close down an illegal Route 306 private school, officials are delaying a closure to allow administrators to legalize the school.

State Supreme Court Justice Paul Marx signed an order closing Congregation Bais Chinuch Ateres Bnos at 261 Route 306 pending a certificate of occupancy needed to legally operate classes for more than 300 girls. [Read more…]

Chestnut Ridge: Lawsuit ends, synagogue vs. garage debate remains

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Hilda Kogut of Chestnut Ridge CUPON Photo: Peter Carr/The Journal News

“Neighbors are infuriated by the dismissal of a lawsuit over a three-car garage they claim is a being used as a synagogue.

A lawsuit filed by the religious educational center has been dropped with the village’s support that challenged a Zoning Board Appeals ruling voiding the building inspector’s original certificate of occupancy for the structure on Spring Hill Terrace. [Read more…]

Chestnut Ridge Zoning Board revokes certificate of occupancy for garage used as synagogue

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3-car Garage at 3 Spring Hill Terrace

Monday night at a meeting of the Chestnut Ridge Zoning Board of Appeals (Jan. 29), the board voted 5-0 to revoke the C/O (certificate of occupancy) that had been granted by the Village’s building inspector to an oversized, two-story 3-car garage at 3 Spring Hill Terrace. This was the second meeting about the garage, and both sessions lasted almost three hours and had to be held at the Chestnut Ridge Middle School due to an overflow of those attending. The difficulty of arriving at a conclusion was not due to the facts but rather a Catch 22 in the state’s zoning law. [Read more…]

Kaser: Fire-damaged trailer sits on same property with Village Hall

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Trailer on Kaser Village Hall property

A fire broke out in a group of trailers across from the Kaser Village Hall at 15 Elyon Road early Sunday morning. The unattached trailers, village hall and attached boy’s school are on the same fenced-in property. (Photo: Rochel Leah Goldblatt/lohud)

“A Sunday-morning fire in trailers that raised questions among fire officials occurred on the same property as a yeshiva and Kaser Village Hall.

The property belongs to congregation Khal Torath Chaim, according to Ramapo town property records. The Village Hall rents an office from the yeshiva, Kaser Deputy Village Clerk Binyomin Mermelstein said. [Read more…]