New York City Mayor Says United Nations Building Is a Hazard to Schoolchildren
By Catherine Donaldson-Evans
Fox News
November 13, 2007
New York City's mayor says the United Nations building is such a hazard that he's threatening to suspend school visits unless conditions inside are fixed by early next year.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that field trips will stop if sprinklers, smoke detectors, exit signs, emergency lighting, alarms that alert the fire department and other safety features aren't put in place by January and March of 2008, the United Nations told FOXNews.com.
The 1950s-era complex is reportedly missing many basic fire protection systems on several floors, according to U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Michael Adlerstein.
"We've had an extensive dialogue with New York City going back many months," said Adlerstein, who is also the executive director of the separate, upcoming $1.876 billion U.N. renovation called the "capital master plan." "We have arrived at deadlines we believe are achievable, and we're working toward those deadlines."
But the fixes will be both costly and temporary — Adlerstein said the price tag would be "several million dollars" — because the larger, planned refurbishing project involves gutting the building and tearing up the current modifications, along with everything else inside.
"It's not inexpensive, but it's very important that we protect our visitors and staff," he said. "It's only very short-term, unfortunately."
There has never been a major fire or related injury at the United Nations in its history, according to Adlerstein, who said he didn't know why it took so long to bring the building up to code.
The U.N. had been flagged for 866 violations, and the mayor estimated that fewer than 20 percent had been taken care of so far, according to a report Monday in The Washington Times.
The New York City Fire Department gave the U.N. until January to comply with standards, and until March to finish, confirming to FOXNews.com that it has been involved in inspecting the sprawling Manhattan complex and helping install the new equipment.
In an Oct. 30 letter, Bloomberg wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon — excerpts of which were quoted by the Times — proclaiming that "if the United Nations does not adhere to these deadlines, the city will be forced to direct the cessation of all public school visits to the United Nations."
