City employees questioned by federal agents (with names)

Demolition of King Street

Sources confirmed that the FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency questioned a number of city employees Friday, some at City Hall and some at their homes.

According to sources, those questioned include Andrew Peterson, who works in the Planning Department, Carlo Soriento, who works in the Code Department, a female in the Assessor’s Office and investigators went to Code Enforcement Officer Mark Lawler’s North Greenbush home to ask him questions.

GARRETT

Part of Peterson's job is working as executive secretary of the Troy Planning Commission and the Zoning Board.

Both federal agencies have questioned former City Engineer Russ Reeves about two controversial demolition projects, one on King Street and one at the King Fuels site. Reeves resigned his position shortly after Fire Chief Tom Garrett ordered the demolition of the King Street buildings, which are owned by attorney Don Boyajian, while Reeves was on vacation. Reeves had previously refused to grant an emergency demolition for the long-vacant buildings.

State and federal agencies then discovered they were demolished prior to the abatement of asbestos.  

Based on the long, sordid history of the two projects, it does not appear those questioned by federal agents on Friday are the target of the investigation. Rather, they would be called upon to simply give information.

ROSAMILIA

Demolition at the King Fuels site was suspended when a main gas line was nearly ruptured. It was later discovered the company doing the demolition failed to follow an engineer-approved plan to demolish the buildings and asbestos was found littered throughout the site.

The city Council also began its own investigation that consisted of a number of city officials – including Mayor Lou Rosamilia, Garrett and Reeves - and private individuals publicly answering questions during six hearings. The Council also asked pointed questions about the decision for City Hall to shutter 51 Third St. for lack of a certificate of occupancy even though the building had been used for years as place for performance art-type programming.

It's unclear who else, if anyone else, was questioned on Friday.

More information on this developing story as it becomes available.

 

 

Deciphering who will head up the Code Department (UPDATED ... AGAIN)

This one is still kind of in flux. Will be updated as I get more information.

There was supposed to be a new head of code enforcement in Troy but the administration is holding off because only two people took the Civil Service test and only one passed it.

ROSAMILIA

First Mayor Lou Rosamilia had to determine who was actually in charge of the Code Department - Planning Department Commissioner Bill Dunne or City Engineer Russ Reeves. I’m told the issue came to a head when the city shuttered 51 Third St. for not having a certificate of occupancy even though the building had been occupied for about a decade. The building, owned by one of the Yes Man Igor Vamos, has apartments and hosts performance art-type programming, was closed days before citizens marched in protest of alleged police brutality at Kokopellis bar on Jan. 25. There was a meeting at the building to talk about the incident, the march and what citizens should or could do in light of the melee at Kokopellis.

It’s not the first time Dunne and Reeves have clashed and likely won’t be the last.

In the end, Rosamilia decided Reeves will oversee code and as such his opinion of who should run the day-to-day operations carried more weight.

Here’s where it gets kind of confusing. First is was going to Jim Rivers, who retired from the city Engineering Department but he never took the Civil Service test. Carlo Soriento, who took the test and works in code now, was miffed and threatened to file a grievance.

But, since only two people took the test – Soriento and Code Enforcement Officer Dave Sheeran – the city is not obligated to use names off the list so the grievance may be moot when and if it is filed.

There was some confusion over whether or not the job was going to Steve Sweeney, who recently retired from the Canal Corp. making $110,000 a year but now it appears he will be assisting Reeves on the much needed work on the sea wall for $15,000. Sweeney does, however, live in the Town of Colonie so he will have to either move into the city within 90 days of when he is hired or get a waiver from Rosamilia.

Also, Todd Dickinson will begin a new job in the Engineering Department at a salary of $45,000. 

More information on this one when it becomes available – or is confused even more.