Report on Collapse Of Wall Is Criticized

Residents of the Upper West Side multi-building complex Park West Village and elected officials protested a recent report issued by the city's Department of Buildings yesterday, saying it did not sufficiently address the causes of a retaining wall collapse that occurred at 808 Columbus Ave. last July.

The residents, led by the president of Manhattan, Scott Stringer, said the Department of Buildings failed to properly police the construction site and penalize the contractor. According to a statement released by Mr. Stringer's office, the report did not sufficiently call into question the competence of inspections, whether seismic monitors to check the impact of blasting were present, whether stop-work orders had been enforced, and whether the public was sufficiently informed. "We've got a crisis of confidence in this city when it comes to protecting the public from the dangers of construction. This report was an opportunity for DOB to restore its credibility. Instead, we get more of the same," Mr. Stringer said.