Displaced Tenants Concerned With Cracks, Vibrations

Tenants from six Second Avenue buildings, who will be relocated because of construction, will have their apartments inspected again after voicing safety concerns. About 50 tenants from 1873 and 1821-29 Second Ave. met April 12 with officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Department of Buildings at the Stanley Isaacs Center, on East 93rd Street. The topic was relocation plans for 28 people in 60 apartments, scheduled for this summer. But for many in the displaced group, concern focused on noise and vibrations. Residents of 1873 Second Ave., a 100-year-old building with 12 studio apartments, have been particularly anxious about work on the neighboring plot of land that was home to Century Lumber, a business that had to be demolished for the 96th Street station ancillary structure. â??The building literally shakes. I watch water in a cup dance, said Bonnie Boyuk, a 10-year resident of 1873 Second Ave. â??The cracks in my wall are not cracks right now. They"re fissures. Another woman who lives on the same floor as Boyuk, Kathleen Hersey, called the construction â??unbearable. â??For those of us facing Second Avenue, I can"t tell you how much of a change in quality of life it is, Hersey said. But Bill Goodrich, an official from MTA Capital Construction who attended the meeting, said that the vibrations are different from movement that would be a cause for concern, such as settling or leaning. â??No one has come up with the recommendation that a building is unsafe and needed to be vacated, Goodrich said. â??The engineers we"ve engaged to look at it have not raised a red flag. Still, the apartments will be inspected again now that construction will be done on the buildings themselves. The first phase of work on the structures's grouting and repairs to the cellar and façade's will focus on the exteriors. Work is expected to last six to eight weeks, and will be conducted between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents will be able to stay in their homes. â??It"s not going to be that much different if one of your neighbors was renovating their apartment, Goodrich said. The second phase of work, scheduled to take place sometime between June and September, will force some tenants out of their apartments. Residents in 1873 Second Ave. will have to leave their apartments for 30 days while construction workers install cross braces on ceiling beams. In the five buildings between 1821 and 1829 Second Ave., 16 residents that live on the second and fourth floors facing the avenue will have to leave so workers can anchor the façade. The MTA also hired a relocation consultant that will move out tenants from their homes based on their schedule and preference â??It"s at your convenience, said Lois Tendler, vice president of government relations at the MTA. â??I can"t emphasize that enough. Many of the tenants seemed pleased with the MTA"s relocation plan, which includes having the transit authority pay for most lodging, moving and storage expenses directly, instead of reimbursing displaced residents. â??That"s the biggest thing for us, said Lexi Scholes, who shares an apartment on 1825 Second Ave. with a roommate. â??I think we"ll get through it. Luckily, my roommate and I are flexible. We don"t have kids or pets.