EXCLUSIVE: New Concerns Over A Demolition Site In Philadelphia
By: Todd Quinones
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Eyewitness News finds new concerns over a demolition site in Philadelphia.
This one is less than a block away from the scene of last week's deadly building collapse.
The city Department of Licenses and Inspections has issued a number of violations here at this site. At issue right now, is all this debris and rubble left over from this demolition work. Also, there are safety concerns regarding this partially torn down two-story brick wall that remains standing near the rear of the property.
A partially torn down two-story brick wall is all that remains standing on the site where The Forum adult movie theater once stood. The owner of the Liberty Bar two doors down from the demolition site claims the leftover debris from the demolition has been here since March and that its it's dangerous, unsightly, and costing him business.
"It's bad, you know. We asked them are you going to clean it up? It looks like Beirut. It looks like the Berlin Wall," said business owner Michael Kenish.
Kenish hired attorney Michael Pansini. He claims Griffin Campbell Construction, the same company involved in last week's collapse at 22nd and Market Streets, also did the demolition work here at 2208 Market Street.
"I'm absolutely flabbergasted that the debris remains there and has remained there for months upon months. And that walls that literally could be falling down on people still remain," said Pansini.
On Friday, the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a stop work order, citing leftover demolition debris. L&I calls the conditions at the site a hazard and unsafe.
Pansini says the site is a troubling situation.
"It looks like a war zone," he said.
The attorney represent representing Griffin Campbell Construction did not return our phone call Tuesday evening.
In the meantime, the city says it has inspected roughly 300 demolition sites in the city and it has issued stop work orders at five of them after finding numerous violations.
