FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Wednesday, January 31, 2007
First Step Taken in Fiterman Deconstruction
People walking north of the World Trade Center yesterday may have noticed a sign of progress at Fiterman Hall: The building's sidewalk shed is coming down.
The shed removal is the first step in the 15-story tower's deconstruction. And with approval from and careful monitoring by regulators, it precedes the building's full enclosure in scaffolding and netting. That enclosure, similar to that of the 130 Liberty Street building, heralds Fiterman Hall's decontamination, which is likely to begin this spring.
Officials announced this and other upcoming project milestones on Tuesday, January 30th, in a public meeting hosted by the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). There, representatives from the City University of New York (CUNY) and its consultants walked approximately 100 attendees through the projected timeline, phases of work, environmental controls, and other plans.
Beyond erecting new scaffolding, CUNY and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), which own Fiterman Hall, are finalizing plans to begin remediation work. The CUNY/DASNY team is working closely with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulators on those plans to ensure safety for both the community and building workers throughout the project. The team also is collaborating with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to carry out the search for human remains on the building's roof.
During the meeting, consultant Benn Lewis of Airtek Environmental explained primary project elements. Lewis' team is collaborating with PAL Environmental Services and Tishman Construction, and said that the utmost care will be taken to clean the 370,000-square-foot building and safely remove its contents, ductwork, mechanicals, and structural parts.
Lewis added that no materials will be "dropped" in the waste-removal process and that dust will be controlled in an enclosed, negative air-pressure space within the building.
Additionally, air monitors will be set up around the building's perimeter to track particulate matter, metals, silica, and asbestos. The latter is a less concern, however, because a complete renovation of Fiterman Hall was near completion on September 11, 2001, and its asbestos had already been almost entirely abated.
CUNY/DASNY officials also have drafted an Emergency Action and Community Notification Plan. It will be finalized when remediation and deconstruction plans are complete and work begins at the site.
At the meeting, CUNY Interim Vice Chancellor Eduardo del Valle noted that as long as the remediation and deconstruction stay on schedule, new construction will begin at the site in April 2008, with the new building opening in June 2010. He added that plans for the new building are now 60 percent complete.
A question-and-answer session followed the presentation, and officials reinforced CUNY/DASNY's commitment to holding regular public meetings throughout the deconstruction process, in addition to sending updates to Community Board 1.
Visit LowerManhattan.info's Fiterman Hall Project Update page and www.bmcc.cuny.edu/fitermannews/ for additional information. Questions about the project can be sent via email to fitermanhallinfo@bmcc.cuny.edu.