Less than two weeks after a partial
building collapse, officials announce plans to hire community liaisons
to address neighborhood concerns about work on the controversial
Atlantic Yards project.The Empire State Development Corporation says it wants to "ensure
that residents remain in the loop, and that community concerns receive
proper attention" as developer Bruce Ratner moves forward with plans to
build a series of office and apartment towers, and a basketball arena
for the Nets.The state also says Ratner will bring in a representative to
oversee demolition and construction on the $4.2 billion high-rise
project in Prospect Heights.On April 26th, a 200-foot parapet came crashing down on cars parked
in front of one of the buildings being prepared for demolition.The
accident fueled calls from neighborhood activists to shut down the
entire project.