CBS: New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin is calling for the Department of Buildings to quickly fill its open positions in the wake of Wednesday’s deadly building collapse in Brooklyn.
Eight people were killed and 18 others were injured when a three-story, mixed-use building came down on Flatbush Avenue, sparking a day-long search for victims and survivors in the rubble.
“What happened in Flatbush is inexcusable. It is such a horrific tragedy,” Menin said in an appearance on “The Point with Marcia Kramer.”
This collapse and several other dangerous building problems across the city in recent years have happened amid a time of staffing shortages at the DOB, which currently has a vacancy rate between 8-9%, Menin says.
“They should not have any vacancies. It’s so important that they fill those vacancies immediately, and we make sure that they’re being aggressive about the inspections,” she said.
Menin says there are programs to train building inspectors around the city, so she feels the DOB should be able to, and needs to, fill those vacancies quickly.
“And then once we’re fully staffed, making sure that the inspections are very robust, as well,” she said.
Menin says funding for the DOB also has to be a priority.
“We have a very aggressive agenda around building more affordable housing around the city, and so in terms of building more housing and the construction that’s happening right now in the city, we have to make sure the Department of Buildings has the resources it needs,” she said.
Menin adds that the City Council will look into whether additional laws related to building inspections or penalties for violations need to be passed.
“There’s no more important issue in terms of safety, the structural safety of these buildings to make sure that communities are indeed protected,” she said.
The investigation into cause of the collapse is ongoing.
