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The Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes (OBC) is investigating multiple state building and fire violations at 101 Kennedy Drive in Spring Valley, a property owned by Country Village Towers Corp., said Ed Markunas, director of the Office of Building Codes.
Markunas said the property owner is facing over $16,000 in violations resulting from extensive renovations to five floors that were done without the required permits.
During a training drill, officials said the Spring Valley Fire Department discovered multiple hose connections in the building’s fire protection system had been modified and reduced in size, rendering them incompatible with standard fire hoses.
The department then notified Fire Inspector Kim Weppler about the alteration, which was investigated and confirmed by OBC to pose a significant safety risk. The alteration prevents hoses from being connected to the building’s system in the event of a fire.
As part of its response, the county said that OBC has issued a stop-work order to halt any ongoing renovations until a thorough investigation confirms that all work adheres to current building and fire safety codes, including fire-rated materials and systems.
The property owner must also promptly correct the fire hose connection issue to restore proper fire response capability.
“Unpermitted renovations and code violations not only undermine the safety of residents but also put first responders at risk. We will take every necessary action to enforce compliance and protect our community,” explained Markunas, “In addition to the stop-work order, this property is now under a mandatory Firewatch, and violations are being issued.”
Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the dangerous, unauthorized alteration of fire hose connections in this apartment complex underscores exactly why these regulations exist.
"When work is done without oversight, serious and potentially life-threatening mistakes can occur," Day said. "Had these renovations been properly permitted and inspected, this type of egregious error would have been avoided entirely.”
The Office requests that the public submit complaints regarding building and code violations within the Village of Spring Valley to 845-364-3700 or by email to BuildingsAndCodes@co.rockland.ny.us.
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