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This story pisses me off on so many levels, and this quote " Resident Cynthia Amaya said people ran out and were shouting to the demolition workers to stop "but they just kept going." UNREAL!!!!

I did a net search on this company: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=GKY+Industries&ei=utf-8&fr=b1ie7. I see all the nice government contracts?looks like there is lots of money to rebuild these homes and cover all expenses for these poor families. I'm going to personally watch how this plays out, and I'm going to do what ever is necessary to make sure that GKY Industries, located on Eighth Street takes care of these homeowners!

Any half-assed demolition crew would want to look at existing building plans held with city hall before they knock down anything or build anything - these guys obviously have no ass!

I guess these guys attended the same school as the burst water main and roof cave in guys.........Lets just hope they have an outstanding insurance policy to cover all the houses affected and the cost of a LONG stay in hotels for the displaced residents!

DEMOLITION FALLOUT
Adjacent buildings may be doomed

Saturday, August 18, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Residents of two Downtown Jersey City buildings have been locked out of their homes by city construction officials who fear the houses may collapse.

The two buildings have structural problems that were greatly exacerbated by the demolition of two adjacent buildings that shared common floorboards, officials said.

"She said the Fire Department and police want you down here because they need to shut the gas, electric and water because my building is collapsing and yours is going to go, too," said resident Cynthia Amaya in describing the Thursday night call from her neighbor, Maria Colon.

Both live in attached two-story homes at Brunswick and Eighth streets, where two other attached buildings are being demolished by the owner, GKY Industries, which also owns an adjacent commercial facility, officials said.

When city Construction Official Ray Meyers was called to the scene Thursday night, he stopped demolition and cleared out the homes.

"The demolition aggravated and exposed the condition," said Meyers yesterday, referring to beams on the foundation that have rotted.

Meyers pointed out that beams on the first and second floors in all four buildings were connected.

The problem came to light when residents walking on their sloped floors began seeing cracks develop in their plaster and lathe walls, and one woman said her roof separated from a wall and she could see daylight through the gap.

Amaya said residents ran out and were shouting to the demolition workers to stop - "but they just kept going."

Meyers said engineers and architects are looking into the structural situation to determine what can be done for the homes, which Meyers estimated were built about 80 years ago. Hudson County Freeholder Eliu Rivera went to help residents find places to stay, but said they would be put up by relatives.

GKY Industries, located on Eighth Street, could not be reached for comment. Its Web site says it was founded in 1953 and is a distributor of industrial supplies, tools and safety and shop related products.

Yesterday, residents were allowed to enter their homes to grab some belongings. Colon gathered what she could, then raced back in moments later after realizing she'd forgotten her box of family pictures.

Homes threatened with collapse
by Michaelangelo Conte

Friday August 17, 2007, 3:22 PM

Residents of two Downtown Jersey City buildings were allowed to briefly enter their homes today to take whatever belongings they can because their homes are threatened with collapse, officials said.

The buildings started to come apart last night during demolition of adjoining buildings, officials said.

The problem -- on Brunswick Street off Eighth Street -- came to light when residents walking on their sloped floors began seeing cracks develop in their plaster and lathe walls and one woman said her roof separated from a wall and she could see daylight through the gap.

Resident Cynthia Amaya said people ran out and were shouting to the demolition workers to stop "but they just kept going."

The demolition, officials said, aggravated existing structural problems and threatened them with collapse.

City Construction Official Ray Meyers was called to the scene, cleared the homes and stopped the demolition being done on the buildings owned by GKY Industries.

This afternoon, Meyers pointed out that connected floor beams ran through all four of the attached buildings.

Engineers and architects are looking into the situation to determine whether the occupied homes can be saved.

GKY Industries, located on Eighth Street, could not be reached for comment. Its Web site says it was founded in 1953 and is a distributor of fasteners, electrical connectors, hose and hydraulic fittings, cutting tools, abrasives, hand and power tools and other safety and shop related products.