Can the City protect us from even the most obvious threats to our safety?

It's deja vu all over again.

Last year, a home on Raymond Street was demolished without proper asbestos removal. According to this July 26, 2007 TAB story:

The owner had permits for demolition, but did not have a permit for asbestos removal, said Leon Bethune, the director of the environmental health office at the Boston Public Health Commission. Removing the asbestos shingles required permits from both the health commission and the Department of Environmental Protection, Bethune said.

After inspecting the shingles, the health commission determined that they were in fact asbestos and should have been removed prior to demolition.

“Basically, [the owner] violated a whole bunch of laws by doing this,” Bethune said.

So on Monday when I walked past the demolition on at 205 Everett St (at the intersection with Holton St and across the street from the German school), I was disturbed to see the large cloud of dust drifting over the nearby homes. The demolition team didn't even have someone with a garden hose spraying water on the debris to keep the dust down. Nothing at all.

My disappointment at the lack of neighborly consideration became outrage today when I passed the sight and saw an asbestos abatement crew and signs warning about "cancer and lung disease hazard".

What is going on? Can the City's health commission and Inspectional Services Departments be trusted? Can they keep us safe? Its no secret that there is going to be a LOT of development in our neighborhood in the upcoming years. It is going to be a BIG problem if these two incidents are any indication of the City's inability to oversee construction-related activities.

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:41 PM

    Yikes! I guess I'm glad I don't live next door. I feel bad for the neighbors. I walked by there on Sunday. I hope I wasn't breathing.

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  2. Anonymous9:57 PM

    Get used to it. The city has no interest or ability to control developers.

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  3. Anonymous6:58 AM

    There is a saying that goes something like, "Forwarned and Prepared". the next time something like this is about to happen, the next door neighbor should be out there with a garden hose. I wonder what our representatives would say to that if that landed on the front page of the Globe or Herald. I can see it now, "Neighbors Tired of Getting Hosed Down by City Hall, Now They Have to do Hosing Themselves!"

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  4. Anonymous1:58 PM

    As long as we keep putting the same people back in office nothing will change.

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  5. What can we do at this point to obstruct whatever is planned to be built there? Whatever it is, sign me up...

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  6. Anonymous7:39 AM

    John, You can call your city councilor. Tell him how you feel and ask him to put his results in the TAB.

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  7. Anonymous9:19 AM

    Harry
    Suggest you look at the new fence Western Ave. It blew down. Poles not deep enough

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  8. Anonymous12:04 PM

    I live in the neighborhood, and am personally relieved someone did something about that house. It has been sitting there forever like a huge eyesore for the neighborhood. There were homeless people breaking in that we had to call police to handle. I was terrified they would have set it on fire or something worse. Bravo on cleaning up our neighborhood!!

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