http://www.youtube.com/v/f1kT8gaVBjI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1Residents of Hackensack high-rise won't be back until at least NovemberTuesday, July 27, 2010
Last updated: Wednesday July 28, 2010, 12:23 AM
BY MONSY ALVARADO
The Record
STAFF WRITER
Displaced tenants of a Hackensack high-rise where a garage collapsed will not be able to move back into their apartments until at least Nov. 15, a city official said Tuesday.
“They have a lot of work to do,” said City Manager Stephen Lo Iacono. “From our point of view, we have to make sure everything is done properly.”
State Sen. Gerald Cardinale said Tuesday night that he plans to introduce legislation that would require engineers to notify city and state officials of any structural damage they find in buildings or their garages.
“I do believe something has to be done to ensure that people who live in my district are not going to be subjected to this,” said Cardinale, R-Demarest. His district does not include Hackensack.
Cardinale announced his plans at a meeting attended by more than 100 residents of Prospect Towers who were looking for answers from the owners of the building, Equity Residential. But representatives from the company did not attend the meeting, which was organized by Sam Davis, an attorney who is representing a half-dozen tenants.
Earlier in the day, Lo Iacono said he met with representatives from Equity Residential and they said it would take months to get the 18-story building ready for residents.
Lo Iacono said besides removing debris and reconstructing areas sections of the garage, the building needs electrical and plumbing work. He said when the garage collapsed for a second time the day after the initial collapse, water service to the building was interrupted.
Tenant Chris Baldo has been staying at the Hilton in Hasbrouck Heights with his dogs since the collapse. He said he was in shock to hear that he would have to wait until November to return home.
“I didn’t think it would be that long, but then again, I don’t want to go back to a place that is not safe,” he said.
Karen Greaney, who lives in the top floor of the building, said she expects the repairs to take longer.
“I think that’s a very aggressive date,” she said. “I’d like to know what I’m supposed to do between now and then.”
Marty McKenna, spokesman for Equity Residential, did not return calls Tuesday.
The meeting was held in the auditorium of the Hekemian Conference Center at Hackensack University Medical Center. During the meeting, Davis showed a presentation that contained information gathered by the attorney about the parking garage and the possible causes of the collapse, and also pictures of tenants being evacuated from the building.
“It is horrible what people went through in that building,” Davis said, adding that he plans to file suits on behalf of his clients. “It was horrible and avoidable”
The cause of the collapse still needs to be determined, but some residents are blaming a water leak in the garage that dates back several months. Engineering reports sent to the management company earlier this year show that the water leak may have contributed to some damage to the parking garage. City officials said they did not know about the leak and were not notified of the engineering reports.
During the meeting, Davis said that during talks with several people, including one of the engineers who inspected the garage a few months ago, he discovered that cracking in the parking garage was first reported in 2005. He also said that two 30-foot steel beams were installed in the garage in 2005.
The more than 300 residents who live in the building have been staying at area hotels or with family and friends since the initial collapse on July 16. Lo Iacono said Equity Residential has indicated they will continue to provide rooms at area hotels for residents who need them.
Meanwhile, residents of 310 Prospect Ave., an adjacent mid-rise building that shares the garage, received an e-mail on Monday from Equity Residential saying if they were interested in terminating their leases that the property owner would waive any fees or charges.
“If you are anticipating moving out, we respectfully request that you let us know your intentions before August 31, 2010,” the e-mail reads.
Peter Thiele, who has lived in the building for nearly three years, said he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He said he likes the location of the building and that its pet friendly, but he is concerned about the cave-in and its impact on the remaining structures.
“We’ve been discussing it a little bit, and part of us are very scared about the building, but part of us doesn’t want to move,” he said.
E-mail: alvarado@northjersey.com