Firefighters inspect the roof of the Ambulance Corps and the adjacent damaged building on Saturday, Feb. 22. Photo courtesy the Woodhaven Residents Block Association
The head officer of the company that owns the Woodhaven building that partially collapsed last April appeared in Queens Criminal Court Friday and was ordered to immediately hire an architect and file for a work permit for the site at 78-19 Jamaica Ave. that residents, civic leaders and legislators have said poses considerable danger to the community, according to a source with inside knowledge of the situation.
George Kochabe, the head officer of 78-19 Jamaica LLC, appeared in court following a warrant being issued for his arrest and was told he must retain the architect and file for the work permit before his next court date on April 10, according to information from the source.
The news of Kochabe’s court appearance comes just before exasperated Woodhaven residents plan to rally this Sunday at 1 p.m. in an effort to pressure the city to act on what they said is an increasingly worrisome situation: A building that, 10 months ago, partially collapsed during the busy rush hour on the evening of April 12, sending a waterfall of bricks cascading onto the sidewalk and street. A car was crushed by no one was hurt in the accident. Since last April, the site has remained virtually untouched.
Concerns about safety and structural damage prompted the ambulance corps to shut down and the Catholic Charities Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Senior Center, which rented space from the volunteer ambulance corps, to relocate to the nearby American Legion Post 118 in Woodhaven. Both the ambulance corps and senior center were operating out the of the same building located next to the collapsed structure.
An aerial view of the building at 78-19 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven just after it collapsed April 12. File photo
Because the owner of the building has not fixed the site, the senior center has not been able to return – leaving the ambulance corps in a precarious financial situation because it is not receiving rent from Catholic Charities. And, to make matters worse, melted snow from the collapsed structure caused water to flood into the ambulance corps headquarters last Saturday and may have compromised its structural integrity, according to the WRBA.
“I heard wood creaking,” said Volunteer Ambulance Corps President Kathy Sexton Dalbey, who said she was “afraid” and called the Fire Department – officials from which told her a wall appears to have shifted.
“This is the first time in almost 30 years that I’m panicking,” she said.
Kochabe’s attorney reportedly said in court Friday that his client is taking legal action against his insurance company concerning coverage for the building – which he said is the reason nothing has been done at the site, according to information from the source. However, Kochabe was advised in court Friday that waiting on the outcome of legal action against his insurance company was not a sufficient reason to not begin filing for a work permit and launching repair work.
Before its collapse, the building at 78-19 Jamaica Ave. – which previously housed a furniture store but was vacant by last April – had been cited for numerous violations, and the city Department of Buildings had issued a partial vacate order. Still, the problems persisted and the Fire Department said last April’s collapse was in part due to heavy rainfall.
“It is shameful that this problem has stretched on for as long as it has,” WRBA President Martin Colberg said. “It’s time for the city to resolve this once and for all. Not only does the current situation put us at risk – every pedestrian who passed by, every car that drives by – but it might also kill the ambulance corps, which would be a terribly unfair outcome. The city must take action now.”
Community Board 9 Chairman James Coccovillo, also stressed the damage being done to the ambulance corps’ building because of its neighbor.
“Again, we have problems with the collapsed building, with tons of water pouring off of it from the snow,” he said. “A great deal more of additional damage is being done to the ambulance corps because of this structure… The Buildings Department must step up and do what it has to do to either take it down or repair it.”
Joel Kuszai, a CB 9 member who lives around the corner from the problem spot, agreed that the building poses very real and serious dangers to passersby.
“I was shocked when they were letting people go under the scaffolding on Saturday,” he said. “It’s a concern to walk by – is a chunk of it going to fall? The lights there are never working, it’s not maintained, it’s covered in graffiti – for a resident, it’s upsetting and an eyesore.”
The rally will be held on Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m. in front of the ambulance corps at 78-15 Jamaica Ave.
After the building collapsed last April, residents said the structure has been covered in graffiti and noted the lights around the building are rarely working. Courtesy photo
