Mayor: City Doesn't Want ‘To Scare' Bovis Away

Mayor Bloomberg is defending the record of the general contractor running the demolition of the former Deutsche Bank building following a fatal fire there.

The firm, Bovis Lend Lease, is preparing to regain control of the site Friday.

"Bovis is a big company that does business around the world, does a lot of business in the city. We love them to work here," Mr. Bloomberg said at a Lower Manhattan news conference yesterday. "We certainly don't want to scare Bovis away."

The firm faced an angry crowd of downtown residents and firefighter families this week, and some called for its removal from the demolition job following a seven-alarm blaze that caused the death of two firefighters August 18. After the fire, investigators found numerous safety violations in the condemned building near ground zero that was contaminated with asbestos after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — including a broken standpipe and extensive smoking by workers.

The mayor also defended a decision to reassign three fire officers charged with inspecting the building.

"Nobody's scapegoating anybody," the mayor said. "I don't think that if they did what it seemed they did, they should be able to continue to be able to put people in jeopardy."

The brother of one of the officers said yesterday the decision to reassign was a "slap in the face." "The real culprits on this are the people who caused the fire — the people who dismantled the standpipe," John Bosco, who acts as Captain Peter Bosco's lawyer, said.

Manhattan prosecutors are investigating John Galt Corp., a subcontractor that was fired last week along with other contractors and government agencies overseeing the project.

Bovis Lend Lease executives said this week they had four safety inspectors at the site full time, while URS, which represents the owner of the building, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., had at least two.

The mayor has said he is reviewing his response to the fire to the city agencies under his control, including the Department of Buildings. It is unclear if the mayor would also be examining one of the other city agencies partly under his purview, the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center.

The LMCCC oversees large downtown construction projects, including the 130 Liberty St. demolition, and reports both to Mr. Bloomberg and Governor Spitzer.

When asked about whether the "LM – Triple C," as it sometimes called, was being investigated, the mayor looked confused.

"Triple C?" he said turning to his spokesman, who clarified by offering the agency's full name.

"Oh," the mayor said. "I have no idea. ... I'll take a look and see. I don't know who was responsible and we're taking a look at that."