8 The Courier sun • february 28, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com s sandy aftermath Liu audit finds DOB ‘dysfunctional’ BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) is falling down on the job. “The Buildings Department is just dysfunctional and incapable of improving itself,” said Comptroller John Liu. “Its inability to perform basic tasks ... bode poorly not just for the department, but for residents and neighborhoods too.” A recent audit by the comptroller’s office found the DOB is slow in responding to complaints, and has not improved or resolved problems found in earlier audits. A 2009 audit found DOB inspectors failed to gain access to nearly 40 percent of properties they received complaints about in 2008. The department also sought warrants for less than one percent of inaccessible properties and did not follow up on vacate orders. Since then, the rate of failed inspection attempts has more than doubled, according to a new audit. The department also only partially implemented a handful of 14 recommendations made in the last audit, Liu said. But a DOB spokesperson said many recommendations in the report have already been implemented. The department has also launched citywide safety campaigns, a task force to inspect illegal dwellings and “undercover investigations” to target illegal apartments for rent. “The department is doing more than ever to combat the dangers of illegal conversions,” the spokesperson said. “The department has aggressively targeted illegal apartments most at-risk for fire — with a vacate rate nearly five times greater than before.” Roughly 20,000 complaints, mostly from Queens, regarding illegal conversions get fielded through the department annually, the DOB said. But grievances about illegal conversions garner a B rating on the DOB’s priority-arranged scale of complaints — the same level earned by improper fencing, exposed elevator shafts and malfunctioning boilers. Illegal conversions have been the root of many firerelated deaths at home, including a 2011 blaze that killed one and injured five in Woodside. THE COURIER/File photo A fire at this this illegally converted Woodside home killed one and injured others. Bill to help houses of worship BY TERENCE M. CULLEN tcullen@queenscourier.com Houses of worship damaged by Sandy may be getting federal aid thanks to Congres smember Grace Meng and other lawmakers. Meng and New Jersey Congressmember Chris Smith co-authored the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013, a bill that would allow churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions excluded from FEMA aid to become eligible to receive a portion of the billions of dollars pouring into the tri-state area to rebuild. The Smith-Meng bill, put forth to the House on Wednesday, February 13, would leave houses of worship open for aid money under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which funds FEMA reimbursements. “The decision to hold a vote on this important legislation is great news for the many houses of worship that desperately need to repair or rebuild their facilities in the wake of Sandy,” Meng said in a statement. “Three-and-a-half months since the storm wreaked havoc on our region, houses of worship – and the millions of Americans who benefit from the social services these institutions provide – continue to be denied the same treatment that is afforded to other non-profit entities. This is unfair, wrong and must change. And it will change if this critical legislation becomes the law of the land. I urge all my colleagues in Congress to support it.” Our Lady of Grace in Old Howard Beach was one of those churches affected by the storm and is still working its way back to normalcy. The church THE COURIER/File photo Our Lady of Grace in Old Howard Beach may be eligible for federal aid under a bill co-authored by Grace Meng. is currently ineligible for aid, nor is it particularly seeking it out, said Father Anthony M. Rucando. In the meantime, Rucando said residents and parishioners are doing their part and helping the church they frequent. “The people have stepped up because it’s the parish they love,” he said. “It’s an ongoing reality.” Gov to gas stations: GET BACKUP POWER BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed legislation that would require approximately half the gas stations in the state to have a backup generator for use during a fuel supply or energy emergency. “New York State must learn the lessons from superstorm Sandy so that we are better prepared for the future,” said Cuomo. “This plan will prevent the long lines, delays and frustrations caused by gas stations being forced to close when they lose power.” Under the governor’s proposal, all gas stations within a half-mile of highway exits and hurricane evacuation routes as well as any newly constructed gas stations or ones that have had major renovations would need to comply to the requirements by March 1, 2014. Additionally, chains with 10 or more gas stations under common ownership in any region of the state would also need to have an additional 50 percent of their stations pre-wired for a generator by March 1, 2016. In the case of a power outage, those stations would have 48 hours to install and deploy a generator in a fuel or energy emergency If a station fails to adhere to the new law, they will face a penalty of up to $2,000 per day. Calls to several Queens gas stations revealed that most do not have generators and are not planning on getting one. When asked why they didn’t have one, most stations cited cost concerns or lack of necessity as reasons. Cuomo’s proposed legislation includes grants of up to $10,000 per gas station to help ease the financial burden of installing generators, but the governor’s proposal doesn’t address other obstacles stations faced during Sandy. Joe Yun, an employee at a Citgo station on 35th Avenue and Bell Boulevard, which suffered long lines and fuel shortages during Sandy, said that a backup generator wouldn’t have helped them in that situation. The station had no power problems, and ran out of fuel when another issue disrupted the station’s regular fuel delivery schedule. “The refineries got flooded,” explained Yun. “We couldn’t get gas here.”
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