Fiterman Hall: Frequently Asked Questions/ Answers
January 18, 2007
Public Notice
Are you organizing a community advisory group similar to the one formed
by
LMDC?
Yes. DASNY and CUNY have worked with Community Board 1 and local elected
officials to set up a community advisory committee. The first community
advisory
committee meeting is scheduled for February 9, 2007.
Going forward, will you be having regular open public meetings?
Yes. DASNY and CUNY are planning to schedule meetings, at minimum, every
six
weeks. The next meeting is scheduled for January 30, 2007 at 6 PM at
BMCC.
Where can I find information about Fiterman Hall?
Information and updates on Fiterman Hall can be found at
www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/fiterman_hall_39764.aspx and
www.bmcc.cuny.edu/fitermannews,
and you can sign up for email alerts at the
BMCC website. Additionally, the USEPA has posted electronic versions
of the
regulatory submittals and the regulators’ comments at: www.epa.gov/wtc/
demolish_deconstruct/30wbroadway.htm.
Regulatory Issues
What agencies have jurisdiction over the Fiterman Hall project?
The involved regulators and their respective jurisdictions for the project
are as follows:
Human Remains
What are you doing to search for human remains in Fiterman Hall? What
search
protocols will you be using?
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) completed a walk-through
at
Fiterman Hall on December 12, 2006 and issued a report dated December
20, 2006.
Accordingly, after remediation work begins at the site in spring 2007,
representatives of
OCME will conduct a detailed search of the roof area prior to the removal
of any roofing
materials from the building.
Remediation and Deconstruction Procedures
What will you do to protect
the community from dangerous emissions during the
remediation of Fiterman Hall?
The entire remediation phase of the project will be conducted within
a negative air
pressure containment system. Monitoring activities will include personal
air testing in
workers’ breathing zone to measure their exposures during the project,
work area air
monitoring of the negative pressure containment system, and community
air monitoring
for particulate and WTC Contaminants of Potential Concern (CoPCs). Details
on the
monitoring to be conducted and the notification protocol for exceedances
can be
reviewed within the January 11, 2007 Scaffold Submittal-Regulatory Submittal
Part II -
Environmental Community Air Monitoring Program, which can be viewed at: www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/fiterman_hall_39764.aspx.
Will you be using an open shaft to drop building materials or contaminants
down
through the building?
No. The Contractor will not be permitted to drop any materials down building
shafts at
any time. All of the existing building elevators will be operational
during the
remediation process, and all materials will be brought to grade level
by elevator.
Will a shredder be used as part of the project?
The use of one shredder is included in the Remediation Plan. The use
of the shredder is
proposed to facilitate the consolidation of the tremendous amount of
waste that the
project will generate and, therefore, minimize truck trips from the site.
The shredder is a
bulk industrial shredder, not a pulverizer, i.e., it does not grind material
to powder, but it
breaks down large pieces, as would be done manually by workers if no
shredder were
used.
Specifications for the proposed shredder are included in the regulatory submittal package. The shredder is to be used in a closed area under negative air pressure, which is designed to control microscopic particles. Wet misting techniques will be used to minimize dust within the containment area. In addition, operators of the shredder will utilize Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) designed to protect against microscopic particles.
How will you prevent the spread of debris and other contaminants from
trucks or
workers leaving the site?
All workers and all waste leaving the site will have been decontaminated in one of the decontamination facilities established at the site. Workers decontaminate themselves in personal decontamination facilities that include showers and allow them to change back into their clean street clothes after the work shift prior to leaving the site. Waste is packaged in a waste decontamination unit and the packages are decontaminated prior to being moved to the waste loading area. Waste is loaded into sealed, plastic-lined trucks. The trucks are sealed and locked prior to leaving the site. No trucks enter contaminated areas. All trucks are loaded with packaged waste in clean areas outside the contamination containment. They therefore are never contaminated and pose no contamination risk. For additional information, please refer to the Remediation Regulatory Submission posted on www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/fiterman_hall_39764.aspx.
How many trucks per day will leave the site? How will they be routed?
Preliminary estimates of truck traffic project an average of 12 or fewer
trucks per day.
These projections will be part of our future EPA submittals to be posted
for public
review. All truck routing will be coordinated with NYCDOT and the Lower
Manhattan
Construction Command Center.
How will data be posted?
Air monitoring results will be posted weekly on http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/fiterman_hall_39764.aspx.
Problems, Emergency Events
What will happen if any emissions exceed regulatory limits?
Air will
be monitored
continuously, 24/7 from a minimum of eight (8) stations on site. If an
exceedance occurs,
work will be stopped until the cause of the exceedance has been determined
and the
problem has been addressed. The Regulators will be notified by telephone
and email
immediately upon receipt of any data indicating an exceedance.
How will you notify the community if there is a dangerous exceedance?
Information on any emergency event or situation will be communicated
to the community
through the regulatory agencies trained and equipped to interpret the
data and manage
emergencies.
Will project personnel must be accessible 24 hours a day? Where will
Emergency
Coordinators numbers be available?
Contact names and addresses will be posted at the site and on the
website documents.
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