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NYCHA to shell out $112M for elevator safety

Nearly two months after a Brooklyn boy fell down an elevator shaft to his death, city officials set out to pump millions of dollars into improving elevators at housing projects. In an attempt to prevent

News 12 Staff

Oct 29, 2008, 10:43 PM

Updated 5,896 days ago

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Nearly two months after a Brooklyn boy fell down an elevator shaft to his death, city officials set out to pump millions of dollars into improving elevators at housing projects.
In an attempt to prevent more tragic incidents, the New York City Housing Authority is expected to spend $107 million to replace about 630 elevators at over 45 public housing complexes. Another $5 million will go toward hiring additional inspectors.
?Our immediate plan is to get contracts in place and start work on up to 200 elevators quickly,? said Douglas Apple, the NYCHA?s general manager, at a hearing Wednesday in City Hall.
The decision comes after a string of fatal incidents caused by faulty elevators. Earlier in the month, emergency responders who were rushing an 11-day-old baby to the hospital were stuck inside an elevator for a brief time, during which the newborn stopped breathing and later died. In August, a 5-year old boy got trapped in an elevator at the Taylor-Wythe Houses in Brooklyn and fell to his death after attempting to escape.
Before the funds are allocated, however, housing officials will take part in a series of hearings on elevator safety organized by the City Council.