Interior cover planned for dome
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WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County commissioners have authorized an agreement with D.A. Nolt, Inc., manager of the county courthouse restoration project, to install an interior cover under the courthouse dome to protect the rotunda area from falling plaster.
The county and the company will split the cost of the cover and the cost to repair damage to plaster and four murals under the dome. The costs have not been determined yet.
In September, work to plug old exterior leaks in the dome let in more water from heavy rainfall and caused more damage after workers opened up dome joints to strip away old material and apply new caulking. The cost to repair new damage to the plaster and murals could be about $1 million, Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said last month.
Commissioners on Thursday approved a motion to let officials executive a final agreement with D.A. Nolt, and they also approved a $27,300 contract with New York-based Evergreene Architectural Arts Inc. to assess damages to the interior plaster and murals. The county plans to file an insurance claim to recover its share to fix the new damage, County Engineer Joe Gibbons said.
Source: Citizens Voice
Worker in Brighton Beach building collapse tells how he was buried under debris
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“Oh my god, I was buried,” Kushch said. “I started digging myself out. I don’t know how I got out. ... I have two small children. I had to get out.”
On the floor below, four of his fellow hardhats were also hurt — and one of them, Ukranian immigrant Ivan Lendel, later died.
City officials have said it appears the Brighton Fifth St. structure collapsed because concrete was poured on top floors before the bottom floors were fortified.
The Buildings Department and federal safety officials are investigating. The Brooklyn District Attorney is also probing the accident but it’s too soon to say if criminal charges might result.
After another Brooklyn building collapsed three years ago, killing a laborer, the owner was charged with manslaughter for allegedly cutting corners — but he beat the rap.
Construction industry experts told the News that putting in concrete from the top down at the Brighton Beach site could have been a way to save time and money.
Source: New York Daily News