What’s New
Last month we announced that Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E. was selected as a member of the 2009 Rockland County Forty Under 40. On October 22nd, Mr. Yarmus received the award at a gala reception at the IBM Executive Conference Center in Palisades, NY. The event was covered by the Journal News.
Recent Projects
- Consultation regarding alleged soil erosion caused by land clearing in Ulster County, NY
- Review of the circumstances regarding a deck staircase collapse in Wesley Hills, NY
- Certification of the structural integrity of a suspected foundation wall failure in Westport, CT
New York City Engineers Say Yankees Stadium’s Cement Ramps Safe
On October 25th, the Associated Press reported that “New York City Buildings Department engineers say the ramps at Yankee Stadium are sound in spite of large cracks in the cement,” and “the cracks do not affect the structural stability of the ramps at the $1.5 billion ballpark.” The inquiry “came after the owners of a company involved in designing the concrete mix were accused of either faking or failing to perform some required tests”.
On October 24th, the New York Times published a story on the history of the cracks and the involvement of various parties including contractors, testing laboratories, construction managers, the Yankees, and others. Please click here to read the full story.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. provides construction management and oversight services for its clients to assist in minimizing the likelihood of such incidents. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients.
EPA: Schools Should Test Aging
Caulk for PCB’s
On September 29th, the Associated Press reported that “hundreds of school buildings across the United States have caulk around windows and doors containing potentially cancer-causing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls),” according to the EPA. While “the danger to students is uncertain, and EPA does not know for sure how many schools could be affected,” the agency is telling schools to “test old caulk and remove it if PCBs turn up in significant amounts.” According to the EPA’s Administrator, Lisa Jackson, “PCBs remain in schools and many other buildings built before the chemicals were banned in the late 1970s”.
On September 28th, NPR published an article discussing this PCB issue, as well as the possibility of other environmental problems in schools including asbestos, radon, lead, and leaking underground storage tanks. Please click here to read the full story.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to provide consultations on and test for such hazardous materials, as well as the abatement and management thereof. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients.